Primary healthcare (PHC) is the foundation of a cost-effective approach to achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC). Recognising this need, Nigeria Health Watch, in partnership with the Kano State Primary Healthcare Management Board, Akin Savvy Awareness and Initiative for Africa, organised a one-day townhall meeting in Kano Municipal at the Islamic Centre, Kofar Nasarawa, Kano State.
The campaign addressed systemic gaps, inadequate staffing, and resource mismanagement that hinder effective healthcare delivery for women and children, where participants discussed barriers to healthcare access.
Comrade Auwal Abubakar one of the participant highlighted the delay in releasing theBasic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) by the Ministry of Finance and Health, a critical funding mechanism established under Nigeria’s National Health Act which affects the efficacy of health care services especially for the poor and vulnerable groups.
Image credit: Nigeria Health Watch
“Delayed disbursement and lack of data hinders tracking cholera outbreaks in pregnant women and children,” Abubakar noted. Furthermore, strengthening accountability within PHC systems is vital for ensuring equitable and high-quality services, particularly for maternal and child health.
Maryam Musa Sulaiman, another participant, highlighted the troubling trend of women being turned away during labour which can result in infant deaths. “Delivery beds are often given based on payments instead of need,” she stated. She also noted that health workers allegedly misallocate free nutritious Plumpy Nuts – a therapeutic food used to treat severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in children. It is often distributed for free in Kano through the government and UNICEF initiatives.
Interventions and recommendations
Tijjani Yawale, the chairman of the Ward Development Committees, Kano State, appealed to the people to promptly report issues on facilities for accountability. “Resource mismanagement cases would be investigated” Yawale stated. He commended Nigeria Health Watch for organising townhall meetings to sensitise the community and creating an avenue where people express their grievances on healthcare services. “Enrolment announcements for BHCPF have improved due to community complaints about the lack of information”, Yawale stated.
Murtala Yusuf Liman, the Commandant of Hisbah in Kano Municipal, emphasised the need for more sensitisation of communities and groups. “Today’s sensitisaion is positively impactful, but we are appealing for more,” Liman stressed.
Alhaji Kabiru Bayero, the District Head’s representative, called for rigorous character verification of the health worker’s recruitment to ensure moral integrity.
The meeting underlined the requirement for collective action. Therefore, stakeholders stressed the need for:
1. Timely release of the BHCPF to enhance healthcare delivery.
2. Enhance staffing and infrastructure at PHC facilities.
3. Transparent allocation of resources, such as Plumpy Nuts and medications.
4. Increase community awareness to establish trust in healthcare systems.
The meeting rounded up with Nigeria Health Watch, Ward Development Committees, Civil Society Organisations and others committed to bridging accountability gaps for equitable health outcomes in Kano Municipal Council. As Bolarinwa Akinoluwa of Akin Savvy stated, “The journey to Universal Health Coverage begins with communities empowered to demand better healthcare.”