Sarkin Kura Health Post has been a lifeline for Kofar Kudu residents, however, its reduced hours and scope of services hinder access to urgent medical attention, particularly during emergencies.
For Ni'imat Kura, who is a 37-year-old mother of three, these gaps have had life-altering consequences. "I started visiting the health post four years ago, and the male and female health workers there, who appear to be the only staff of the facility, have done their best to establish a good working relationship with us," says Ni'imat Kura.
She explained that the health post is open at daytime on weekdays, but closes on weekends, leaving the community without emergency healthcare outside these hours. Recalling a terrifying day when her eight-year-old son fell into a deep gutter late in the evening, she noted that, "he was conscious when we pulled him out, but there was no health facility nearby for emergency treatment. He fainted on our way to the general hospital in Kura. Fortunately, he survived."
In addition, she points out that the health post does not provide delivery services, "the facility offers antenatal care for pregnant women, but when it's time for delivery, we must go to the general hospital which is over 5 kilometers away from the community. If labour starts in the middle of the night, we must put women on bikes for the long journey to the hospital, which causes many complications during childbirth."
Sulaiman Salisu Kura, the chairperson of the Ward Development Committee (WDC) for Kura, acknowledged the community's concerns. He explained that the facility operates from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. as required by a health post. However, it still faces a shortage of health workers to meet the rising healthcare demands of the people in the community, which has grown beyond the capacity of the minimum service provision for a health post facility.
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"The only facilities in Kura operating for 24 hours are the Sani Mashal PHC and the General Hospital [in the LGA], but we are working with the Head of Department and other stakeholders to find solutions. From our end, we have begun using community resources to employ additional health workers but even this has its limitations as we can only extend the hours to 7:00 p.m. The shortage of health workers across the country makes 24-hour operation unrealistic at this time."
The challenges facing the facility align with the second pillar of Nigeria's Health Sector Renewal Plan for 2023 to 2026, which focuses on addressing the health disparities in underserved areas by enhancing access to efficient, equitable and quality health services to improve maternal and child health outcomes.
While the community has made efforts to address the healthcare challenges at the Sarkin Kura Health Post, more support is needed from the government to ensure sustainable, round-the-clock healthcare.
Therefore, the residents of Kura are calling on the government to:
1. Upgrade the Health Post to include a delivery unit so newborns can be safely delivered within the community.
2. Recruit more healthcare workers to ensure emergency care is provided when needed.
3. Enable the facility to admit patients who need emergency medical attention, especially women and children.
