Emitsuwa Basic Health Clinic was built to meet the health needs of the residents of Emitsuwa, a rural community in Gbako Local Government Area of Niger State. However, it has so many challenges, it is no longer functioning optimally. Consequently, the community members cannot access the health services they need when they need them.
Yahaya Aliyu, assistant to the officer in charge of the facility, said the facility has no source of electricity supply which makes it impossible to offer 24-hour services. There is also the inadequate staff strength which means that available health workers are overburdened, resulting in poor service delivery. “The delivery couches, beds, tables, and chairs are all broken. The walls have cracks. Birds are living inside our delivery room because they are no windows to keep them out and the delivery room smells bad,” Aliyu lamented. He added that the health facility does not have a toilet or portable water supply.
Suleiman Muhammad, the chairman of the health facility management committee and member of the community said, in addition to the many challenges Aliyu already listed, the clinic does not have a perimeter fence. Also, “the clinic is always running out of drugs. Sometimes even Malaria drugs are not available,” he said, adding that community members are disturbed by the lack of quality healthcare delivery in the health facility.
Emitsuwa community members deserve access to the health services they need, when and where they need them, without suffering financial or any other hardship. They are therefore requesting for
- Complete renovation of Emitsuwa Basic Health Clinic
- Provision of equipment such as beds and mattresses and delivery couches
- Construction of gender equitable toilet facilities in the clinic
- Construction of a perimeter fence for the clinic