ADVERTISEMENT
  • The Membership Club
  • #EndSARS Dashboard
  • PT Hausa
  • About Us
  • Advert Rates
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
Friday, May 27, 2022
Premium Times Nigeria
  • Home
  • Gender
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Opinion
  • Health
    • COVID-19
    • News Reports
    • Special Reports and Investigations
    • Data and Infographics
    • Health Specials
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
    • Events
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Special Reports/Investigations
    • Data and Infographics
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • Projects
    • #EndSARS Dashboard
    • Parliament Watch
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • AGAHRIN
  • #PandoraPapers
  • AUN-PT Data Hub
  • Home
  • Gender
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Opinion
  • Health
    • COVID-19
    • News Reports
    • Special Reports and Investigations
    • Data and Infographics
    • Health Specials
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
    • Events
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Special Reports/Investigations
    • Data and Infographics
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • Projects
    • #EndSARS Dashboard
    • Parliament Watch
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • AGAHRIN
  • #PandoraPapers
  • AUN-PT Data Hub
Premium Times Nigeria
BUA Group Ad BUA Group Ad BUA Group Ad
ADVERTISEMENT
SPECIAL REPORT: Nigeria’s dilapidated PHCs where torchlights are used for birth delivery

PHC Dutse makaranta

SPECIAL REPORT: Nigeria’s dilapidated PHCs where torchlights are used for birth delivery

byNike Adebowale
May 14, 2017
4 min read

Manpower shortage and deficient infrastructure, especially inadequate equipment and power supply, are the major obstacles to meaningful primary health care delivery in Nigeria, an investigation by PREMIUM TIMES has revealed.

The All Progressives Congress-led federal government under President Muhammadu Buhari has anchored its public health agenda on a scheme to revitalize primary health care, PHC, facilities across the country “to avail poor Nigerians with qualitative and affordable health services”.

The initial plan of the administration was to build new primary care centres but it later tweaked this plan last year to revitalizing 10,000 existing centres. The scheme, dubbed the National Primary Healthcare Revitalization Initiative, and assigned to the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, NPHCDA, and the Federal Ministry of Health, “aims to make at least one primary health care centre fully functional to deliver a number of services in each of the wards across the country”.

President Buhari flagged off the scheme on January 10 when he commissioned the renovated Primary Health Care Centre in Kunchigoro, a suburb of Abuja. The centre was adequately staffed and fully equipped, including with ambulances and drugs, and has since been providing services to the appreciation of patients.

But that is not the case in most other primary health care centres in the country.

A visit to Asata Primary Health Centre in Ogui community, Enugu North Senatorial District of Enugu State revealed the poor state typical of these centres around Nigeria and the struggle of their workers to deliver services to patients, especially at the grassroots.

PHC, Asata Enugu state
PHC, Asata Enugu state

“We use torchlight or our phone light to deliver women at night or whenever the room is dark”, an official at the centre in Asata told our reporter on condition of anonymity to avoid victimisation.

“Though this facility looks very small, a lot of people visit here on a daily basis. But because of lack of funds, people have been suffering severely to the extent that some of our staff cannot even afford transportation fares to come to work on daily basis.

“We don’t have enough staff in the centre; we lack adequate manpower”, the official stated.

“We are supposed to have cleaners, night watchmen and care takers, but we don’t have any. The building is too small and not conducive at all. As you can see, all the nets and windows are gone.

“The issue of light (lack of electricity supply) has been on for a long time. For over a year, we had no light at all; not even for a day. When there was no light, we just used our torch lights or phone light. That’s the only option. There is a standby generator but it has been faulty for a long time.

“Considering the fact that we run two shifts, both morning and night, light is needed. So recently, we borrowed money to fix the light. We need light to preserve our vaccines and to take (birth) deliveries at night. So, we went to good spirited Nigerians to lend us money. We are still owing that money up till now.

“Despite all these challenges, women prefer having their babies here. In a month, we have between 17 and 20 deliveries”.

Asked what she expected from the federal government’s revitalization scheme, the official eagerly unfurled her shopping list.

“We want the Federal Government to expand this building for us as this is a centre that serves so many people. Expansion and equipping of this building will make it more conducive and friendly for both the workers and the patients.

“We have only five rooms and OPD (Out Patient Department) here. If the government can put up five more rooms, it will be good for everyone.

“We also call on them to train our staff. We need to be updated of recent discoveries, to enhance our knowledge on how to handle certain health issues. If the staff here can be updated, especially in child bearing, it will help us work better”.

Other members of staff joined in to remind her of the lack of ambulance or any vehicle that can be used in cases of emergency. She stated that patients who needed to be transported to other locations either use “Keke” (tricycle) or get a taxi.

At the Primary Health Centre, Kuduru in the Bwari Area Council of Abuja, it was discovered that there has never been any form of power supply in the past four years since the centre started operating.

One of the dilapidated Primary Healthcare centres in Kuduru
One of the dilapidated Primary Healthcare centres in Kuduru

“We have never had light or water in the centre” said an official who also prefers not to be named.

The centre was commissioned in May 2011 and started operation in 2013.

“In all these years, we have never had light or water. We buy water on a regular basis from Mai ruwa (water vendor)”.

Asked how the centre operates at night without light, the official said “We run only one shift daily. We resume 8 a.m. and close by 4 or 5 p.m., depending on the day’s work.

“When there is a delivery and the labour room is dark, we make use of rechargeable lamp. That’s the only option since we do not have a standby generator.

“The residents already know our plight and the reasons we close early, so when there is a case of delivery after that time, they go to other health clinics”.

At the Primary Health care centre in Dutse Makaranta also in the Bwari Area council of the Federal Capital Territory, the story was like a recap of the earlier ones in this report.

PHC Dutse makaranta
PHC Dutse makaranta

Except that light is not a primary challenge in the facility, as a standby generator is available. The building, however is dilapidated and would almost not pass for a place where people receive treatment and are delivered of babies.

“As you can see madam, the building is too old and not conducive at all”, said one of the nurses on duty.

“We usually have large number of patients every day, so we need the building to be renovated to ease our work and keep the environment neat”.

At the Primary Health Care Centre in Idu Karmo also in the FCT, however, power supply is expectedly a big problem.

PHC Idu Karimo
PHC Idu Karimo

But, according to a source, the staff contributed money to purchase a solar facility which now provides power at the centre.

“Once there is no light, and since we do not have a standby generator, we use the solar. We bought the solar because of the innocent patients that visits the clinic on daily basis. We cannot continue to wait for the government”, a worker at the centre explained.

Many Nigerians who have to use the primary health care centres across the country will be eager to see what the 2017 Budget, which was passed by the National Assembly on Thursday, has for the centres within the revitalization scheme of the President Buhari administration.

The National Primary Health Care Development Agency, NPHCDA, is a parastatal of Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health with policy and oversight roles on PHC implementation at the state and local government levels in Nigeria. Allocation proposed for the agency by the federal government in the 2017 Budget is over N19 billion (N19,212,923,655) including cost of rehabilitating some of the PHCs.

  • WhatsApp
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print
  • Telegram
  • More
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Pocket

WATCH: Governor Yahaya Bello's Roadmap to Hope 2023

CITIZEN-FM AD


Support PREMIUM TIMES' journalism of integrity and credibility

Good journalism costs a lot of money. Yet only good journalism can ensure the possibility of a good society, an accountable democracy, and a transparent government.

For continued free access to the best investigative journalism in the country we ask you to consider making a modest support to this noble endeavour.

By contributing to PREMIUM TIMES, you are helping to sustain a journalism of relevance and ensuring it remains free and available to all.

Donate


TEXT AD: Why women cheat: what every Nigerian man should know







PT Mag Campaign AD

Previous Post

How I emerged AUN Best Graduating Student – Graduate

Next Post

Fixing Nigeria youth conference to hold on Democracy Day

Nike Adebowale

Nike Adebowale

Nike Adebowale covers the health beat.  She holds a degree from Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti. Twitter: @nikeadebowale1 

More News

The compound of facility along Ikogosi road

Without consulting residents, lawmaker facilitates N115million ‘health centres’. Now they’re used by termites, bushes

May 18, 2022
FDA Officials ready to search the Fareast Warehouse

Consuming trash: unravelling the multi-million cedi business in Ghana’s expired products business (Part 2)

April 30, 2022
Suspect Eddy Sarpong loading suspected unwholesome goods at the Fareast Warehouse

Consuming Trash: Unravelling the multi-million cedi business in Ghana’s expired products business (Part 1)

April 29, 2022
Sample plot of Bt Cowpea at National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) Abuja. Credit: PREMIUM TIMES

INVESTIGATION: In Nigerian communities, farmers growing GM crops know too little to make informed decisions

April 25, 2022
Excavator used for mining at Angwan Gwandara

SPECIAL REPORT: Misery of agrarian Nasarawa community shows pitfalls, potential of solid minerals in Nigeria

April 3, 2022
IPOB : Burnt vehicles at Ezeacho Hotel located on the Okporo-Mgbidi Road behind St Damian’s Hospital mortuary.

SPECIAL REPORT: Inside Nigeria’s bloody war with IPOB where innocent citizens pay heavy price

March 22, 2022
Next Post
Nigeria needs 40 to 50 million jobs by 2030 — World Bank

Fixing Nigeria youth conference to hold on Democracy Day

Macron takes office as French President

Macron takes office as French President

Read All Comment

Search

AUN-PT Ad





Transport-Technology


Stanbic Ad


Access Bank Ad





Glo Ad


Subscribe to News via Email

Enter your email address and receive notifications of news by email.

Join 1,849,714 other subscribers.

Advertisement






netherland biz school Advert



Zenith Advert

ADVERTISEMENT

Our Digital Network

  • PT Hausa
  • Election Centre
  • Human Trafficking Investigation
  • Centre for Investigative Journalism
  • National Conference
  • Press Attack Tracker
  • PT Academy
  • Dubawa
  • LeaksNG
  • Campus Reporter

Resources

  • Oil & Gas Facts
  • List of Universities in Nigeria
  • LIST: Federal Unity Colleges in Nigeria
  • NYSC Orientation Camps in Nigeria
  • Nigeria’s Federal/States’ Budgets since 2005
  • Malabu Scandal Thread
  • World Cup 2018
  • Panama Papers Game
  • Our Digital Network
  • About Us
  • Resources
  • Projects
  • Data & Infographics
  • DONATE

All content is Copyrighted © 2020 The Premium Times, Nigeria

No Result
View All Result
  • #PandoraPapers
  • Gender
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Health
    • COVID-19
    • News Reports
    • Investigations
    • Data and Infographics
    • Health Specials
    • Features
    • Events
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Research & Innovation
    • Data & Infographics
    • Special Reports/Investigations
    • Investigations
    • Interviews
    • Multimedia
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • #EndSARS Dashboard
  • Projects
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • Parliament Watch
    • AGAHRIN
  • AUN-PT Data Hub
  • Opinion
  • The Membership Club
  • Dubawa
  • DONATE

All content is Copyrighted © 2020 The Premium Times, Nigeria

Our website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.