After years of wear and tear, the Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Edokota, a farming community in Gbako Local Government Area (LGA) of Niger State was renovated in 2022 with funds from the Niger State Contributory Health Care Management Agency (NiCare) and the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF).
Before then, the PHC which provides healthcare services to Edokota and other surrounding communities was so dilapidated that community members travelled to Gbako town to access healthcare.
According to Yusuf Muhammad, the officer in charge of the facility, “NiCare and BHCPF carried out an extensive renovation of the centre, while also adding some sections and equipment”. A maternity ward, delivery beds, and waste disposal bins were provided by the two schemes. They also fixed one of the two toilets in the health facility. The schemes also put systems in place to ensure that essential drugs are always available. In addition, the Saving One Million Lives for Results project installed a solar powered freezer which enables the PHC store vaccines at the right temperature.
However, despite the new look and equipment, Edokota PHC is still experiencing some service delivery and structural challenges, Muhammad said. These include the lack of a dedicated source of water supply in the PHC, the health workers are forced to source for water around the community. The facility is also not fenced, and the only toilet fixed by NiCare and the BHCPF cannot meet the sanitary needs of both health workers and patients.
Edokota community members commend NiCare and the BHCPF for giving the Edokota PHC a new look and improving health service delivery to the community and its environs. However, to enjoy optimal service delivery they are asking for
- Construction of a borehole in the health facility
- Construction of a perimeter fence around the health facility
- Construction of additional gender equitable toilets inside the health facility.