Ganawa, a community with an estimated 2000 to 3000 people, in Tungan Wawa ward of Kontagora Local Government Area (LGA), Niger State, has been without access to healthcare for four years. Despite complaints to the authorities, nothing has been done to revive the Ganawa primary healthcare centre (PHC) centre that has been seemingly abandoned for the same length of time.
Nuru Usman, the officer in charge (OIC) of the facility said they were forced to leave the facility due to continuous wear and tear of some parts of the structure and the lack of essential drugs and tools.
According to Mohammad Usman, a schoolteacher and a resident of Ganawa said, “It’s an empty and dilapidated clinic. All calls for reconstruction have been in vain”. Patients must travel 15 to 20 kilometres to Kontagora Town to access healthcare services, which has proven to be a major challenge. Situations like this often lead to the loss of lives, especially for women in labour.
Every Nigerian, regardless of their location or social status, has the right to access quality healthcare services. The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) in a statement to mark the 2022 PHC Summit with the theme “Re-imagining Primary Health Care in Nigeria,” noted that only 43 percent of Nigerians have access to quality PHC services, a situation that is worsening disease outbreaks and out-of-pocket expenditure.
Urgent action is required to ensure that the residents of Ganawa community can access basic health care. The residents of the community want to enjoy the benefits of accessing health services in their community. They are therefore pleading with Kontagora LGA and the Niger State Government to reconstruct the PHC and equip it with staff and all necessary tools and equipment.