For over twenty years, over 5,000 residents in the Kuduru community, Bwari Area Council, FCT did not have access to healthcare. The only health facility they had was dilapidated and abandoned. Despite numerous advocacy efforts to renovate the facility, the government was not responsive, and nothing was done.
We first visited Kurudu in July 2022 for a town hall meeting when we discovered their plight. We visited the facility for inspection and found there was no medical equipment available, no electricity, no water, and some parts of the roof were already caving in.
Mrs Elizabeth, a resident, told us that they had been writing letters to the government since 2015, but nothing had been done.
We partnered with the community members to commence the advocacy. We supported them in writing letters to all the stakeholders involved. We also shared the situation on our social media platforms.
A year later, the FCT administration commenced renovation efforts under the FCT Community and Social Development Project, revamping the facility. The renovations and furnishing were completed in December 2023.
In February 2024, Favour, our community champion who is also a community resident, informed us that the Kuduru Primary Health Centre had commenced full operations for the first time in twenty years.
She spoke about how the situation had changed, and people coming to the centre were treated properly and admitted where necessary.
“Before, when there was no fence around the health care centre, people did not want to get admitted due to insecurity. The situation has changed today. There are beds and equipment available, and the building is good. So many people have started coming here just less than two months after it opened,” she told Tracka.
We commend the Chairman of Bwari Area Council, Hon. John Gabaya, and the FCT Community and Social Development Department (CSDP) for facilitating the renovation, furnishing, and staffing of the Kuduru Primary Health Centre and providing over 5,000 people in the community with quality healthcare.
Story by Ayomide Ladipo and Garba Abdullahi
