The Hugungumai health post in the Ghari Local Government Area (LGA) of Kano State serves over 2,500 residents of the community and several other villages including, Makauraci and Gudawa. However, this small but essential health post is grappling with a severe shortage of staff which limits its ability to provide necessary care to these rural populations.
According to National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), health posts in Nigeria are required to meet specific standards: two rooms with cross ventilation, security and separate male and female toilets with a water source on-site. However, the Hugungumai health post falls short of these standards and serving more than the required patient capacity of 500 persons.
With only one permanent staff member, the health post provides essential services such as routine immunisation (RI), antenatal care and family planning services. Yet, the lack of space, adequate health workers and resources constraints its ability to meet the needs of a growing population in the community.
Abdulmajid Aliyu, the officer-in-charge of the health post, highlighted the urgent need for additional staff and resources to support the growing number of patients. "We are struggling with a severe shortage of staff, I am the only permanent staff member here, managing all the work alone. We need more hands to provide adequate care to our community," Aliyu stated.
The health post provides constant immunisation services to children under the age of five (5), receiving up to 50 children in a week. Abdulmajid noted that New Incentives - a non-governmental organisation that runs a conditional cash transfer (CCT) programme with the aim of increasing infantile vaccination, however, the health post's capacity to deliver these services is stretched thin due to the lack of staff. "Our temporary RI provider and the female attendant for ANC services are not consistent because they receive no incentives or allowances, even when I try to give them a little money from my pocket, it's not enough to ensure regular attendance," Aliyu explained.
Aliyu suggested that the government should consider hiring volunteers from the community as temporary workers at the health post to ease the workload.
The officer-in-charge, while explaining why the health post needs an expansion, revealed that one of the most pressing issues facing Hugungumai health post is the lack of a delivery room and ward, which forces pregnant women to seek care at facilities far from their community.
With no suitable area for childbirth, women in labour are often forced to travel for over 20 kilometers to Ghari PHC, Shuwaki, Bichi LGA, or even as far as Kazaure in Jigawa State, where free maternity services are offered. "The journey can be dangerous, leading to exhaustion, loss of consciousness, or even death," Abdulmajid added.
A call for expansion and resource
Firdausi Bashir, a resident who came in for family planning noted that, "pregnant women suffer greatly when they travel far for childbirth. We need the health post to be expanded for it to start taking deliveries to avoid these risks."
Maryam Hussaini, another resident who brought her son for routine immunisation said, "we need more female staff and renovation of the health post."
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The challenges faced by Hugungumai health post underscore the importance of Nigeria's Four-Point Agenda for health sector renewal plan, particularly its second pillar, which emphasizes efficient, equitable, and high-quality health services. This agenda also includes the goal of revitalising the end-to-end healthcare worker pipeline from training to retention, to meet the needs of communities across the nation.
In light of this, health workers and patients at Hugungumai health post are calling the government and relevant stakeholders to;
1.Provide more staff and retain the temporary staffs
2. Upgrade the health post to a level 2 PHC to accommodate labour and delivery.
3.Provide an avenue to offer free or subsidised drugs and treatment for children under five and pregnant women.
