Tayi Village Primary Health Care Center (PHC) is situated in Nasarawa C Ward in the Chanchaga Local Government Area (LGA) of Niger State. The PHC opened in 2007 in a new and permanent building near the new district head’s residence in Nassawara C, but it lacked essential tools.
Mrs. Hannatu Sani, the officer-in-charge (OIC) of the facility, recalls that before accessing the Federal Government’s Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF), the facility lacked the required tools and essential drugs, which affected the quality of their services. Clients lost confidence in the facility as a result. However, “with the support from BHCPF, services at Tayi PHC have significantly improved. The staff now receives capacity building training, and the facility no longer experiences drug stock outs. The antenatal care (ANC) service is now running smoothly, and clients have regained trust and confidence in the facility,” said the OIC.
Women of childbearing age who visit the Tayi PHC also express satisfaction with the counseling sessions and nutritional supplements they receive. The “ready-to-use therapeutic food” (RUTF) is provided free of charge through the World Bank’s Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN) program in Niger State.
Rachel Henry, who visits Tayi PHC for ANC services, said women receives free laboratory tests and a few other cheaper tests that they had to pay for in the facility. However, pregnant women are often referred to another hospital for scanning, which is a concern for her.
Binta Idi, the ANC focal person in Tayi PHC, said that before they started accessing BHCPF, there were low turnouts during weekly ANC services. However, they now record an increase in the number of women coming for ANC services, with about 60 women visiting monthly, up from 20 women per month previously.
The improvement in service delivery at Tayi PHC is evidence that with the right support, PHCs in Niger State can function optimally. Further support is necessary to improve quality service delivery and address the poor state of Maternal, New-born, and Child Health (MNCH) indices in Nigeria.