PHOTOS: Abandoned community PHC in Jigawa wears new look after SOLACEBASE report
By Moses Akoji
While the need for a quality health care system remains the key drive of the Jigawa State government, the deplorable state of PHCs across the state has weakened the pride of the state over the years, but the constant call for more investment in the primary health care my media house is leading to a transformation in the health system across Jigawa state.
In this report, Aliyu Mansur documents the government’s effort to revive the deplorable Bardo PHC abandoned for many years.
The Jigawa State Primary Health Care Development Agency (JSHCDA) after SOLACEBASE report has renovated the deplorable Bardo PHC abandoned for over 7 years.
This renovation came after SOLACEBASE report and advocacy by the online newspaper team to Bardo Community where the people expressed displeasure and anger over the abandonment of the health centre.
Interior of Bardo PHC before the advocacy and report.
Before this development, the reality on ground revealed that Bardo, a community with over 40,000 residents in Taura local government area in Jigawa State has only a dilapidated primary health care centre (PHC) with a staff that caters for all the health needs of the people.
The new interior of Bardo PHC after the advocacy and report by SOLACEBASE
While residents will have to travel several miles to get treatment for either their loved ones or pregnancy-related issues, they are faced with a bad road, this appears to be a double risk they have to take to stay alive.
The renovation of the health facility came as hope for the people of Bardo community as the poor-looking old health facility has taken a new look.
A visit to the Primary health care centre in Bardo community revealed that the primary health care centre long forgotten, abandoned in its deplorable condition wears a new look, with the doors completely changed and the roof and ceiling all replaced with new one, while the floor of the health facility and the windows have been replaced as well.
Sale Lawal, the facility head while describing the gesture as a window of opportunity, prayed for a swift furnishing of the health facility and also an increase in manpower to enhance healthcare delivery in the area.
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“In a month we attend to over 400 patients, while in a day we attend to about 40-50 patients sometimes. This is huge, and the number of patients we attend to keeps increasing because families are increasing.
“We are grateful for what we have now, the hospital has taken a new look unlike before, although after your media house came and left, we got a serious backlash for opening up to you, but today it pays off completely.
“I pray they act swiftly to provide the medical equipment needed and the increase in manpower to support. No community develops without a health system, and the case of Bardo won’t be different,” Lawal said.
Tijjani Usman the newly appointed community head of Bardo community commended the effort of SOLACEBASE and described their concern as patriotic.
“One will think SOLACEBASE is owned by a member of this community, this is because their commitment towards ensuring that we have a functional health system is a clear sign to arrive at such a conclusion.
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“We are excited about the development on ground, and we are hopeful that the government will complete what they have started by giving us the best of a health center so that we won’t have to go out again to ask to get treatment,” Usman said.
Dr. Kabir Ibrahim Aliyu, the. Permanent Secretary of the State Primary Health, in an interview, told SOLACEBASE that it is part of this present administration’s plan to revitalize and renovate PHCs across the state and give it a modern and standard look.
Aliyu said one of the top priorities of the agency was to provide technical support to state staff at the PHC level to facilitate the smooth implementation of all the programs designed.
He added that beyond the revitalization of PHC facilities, the agency is working with key stakeholders to review the general system of managing PHC centres across the state.
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He explained that the new system of management is to ensure adequate distribution of human resources, equipment, availability of drugs, power, water, and other things to improve the efficiency and quality of PHC services.
“Consolidating the PHC system which aims to have one management system and one plan is one of my major thrusts since my assumption of office as Permanent Secretary, we have been able to ensure that complaints are sent directly to the agency’s headquarters to avoid delay in responding to such issues.
The Permanent Secretary who stressed the need for quality of the PHC system in the state, stressed that the PHC system in Nigeria was still sub-optimal.
Residents of Bardo community, excited about the development called on the government to prioritize the health of rural residents as they exist at the mercy of a functional and well-equipped health system since they cannot afford to use the health facilities and private hospitals in major cities for the lack of resources.
This SOLACEBASE publication is produced with support from the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) under the collaborative Media Engagement for Development, Inclusion, and Accountability Project (CMEDIA) funded by the MacArthur Foundation.
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