Gawu Babangida PHC before the intervention
In 2019, we visited Gawu-Babangida, Gurara LGA, Niger state, and over 200 residents lamented the deplorable state of the primary healthcare facility in the community. They shared their difficulties travelling several kilometres to neighbouring communities like Suleja and Minna to seek basic health services since 2012. The absence of medical services in cases of emergencies resulted in the loss of loved ones from childbirth complications, accidents, and general illness.
The clinic was dilapidated; the roof had collapsed, the windows were blown out, and the premise was overgrown with grass. The community’s efforts to attract the state government’s attention and relevant authorities proved futile.
After the meeting, a letter was written to the relevant authorities, and we called the government’s attention to it on our social media handles. This triggered a response from the state government, and they sent an evaluation team to inspect the site for further action.
The rehabilitation and completion of the clinic began in early 2020 and was finally completed and equipped in November 2020. The Niger State Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) undertook this project as a special intervention under the 2019 SDGs program.
During a visit to the clinic in October 2023 to assess its impact on the community, we met with Markus Barau Mamman, the officer in charge of the clinic, who said the facility had now been upgraded from a Maternal and Child Health Center (MCH) to a Primary Healthcare Center (PHC). He also stated that the clinic was now a referral centre and had been furnished with all the necessary equipment to ensure the effective provision of services.
“Since the completion of the clinic, the number of deaths in the community has significantly reduced. People don’t need to travel all the way to Minna to treat malaria or to give birth, unlike before. Since we operate 24/7, we handle every case that comes,” he said.
The completion of this clinic has greatly relieved the community by reducing mortality rates during childbirth, providing prompt medical attention, facilitating proper vaccination, and ensuring easy access to medical services.
We spoke to Zaheer, a community member, about the impact of the clinic. He mentioned that he always received prompt medical service whenever he visited.
“We are happy about this centre because it is a great blessing to us. My two children were born here, and everything went well. If it had not been completed, we would have had to go to Suleja, and anything can happen. My children are collecting all their immunizations here, and everything is good,” he narrated.
The completion and equipping of the Gawu-Babangida Primary Healthcare Clinic has significantly improved the standard of living in the community by reducing mortality rates, increasing the number of successful childbirths, and overall improving the well-being of the residents.
Story by Ayomide Ladipo and Moses Motoni
