By Hassan Zaggi
In an effort to strengthen both community and healthcare systems to deliver high-quality sexual and reproductive health services,Pathfinder International in partnership with IHS Nigeria has donated 10 generators to Primary Health Centres (PHCs) in Borno state and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The benefiting PHCs were selected by the governments of Borno State and the FCT based on needs.
The generators which have since been delivered and installed at the benefiting healthcare centres will be maintained, fueled and serviced free of charge by IHS Nigeria for a one-year period.
The generators, according to a statement by Pathfinder International, are expected to support the provision of uninterrupted healthcare services such as reproductive, maternal and child health services.
“Healthcare facilities are life support systems in times of crisis and other healthcare needs.
“Due to the intermittent power supply in Nigeria, an alternative power source is needed to keep life support machines and other healthcare tools working to sustain human lives,” says the Country Director Pathfinder International Nigeria, Dr. Amina Aminu Dorayi.
The statement recalled that many primary healthcare centres across the country rely on alternate sources of power supply such as torchlight or light from their mobile phones at night due to less reliable power supply from the national grid.
Concerned by the situation, the statement noted, Pathfinder International continues to work to ensure that those services are responsive to the needs of vulnerable communities.
“This donation is timely as we strive to strengthen the delivery of primary care services across the country, a critical step towards attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Universal Health Coverage (UHC),” Dr Dorayi added.
In his response, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of IHS Nigeria, Mohamad Darwish, said: “Healthcare is an important component of human life, and this, to a large extent, influences the growth and development of local communities.
“At IHS Nigeria, we believe we have a responsibility to support the government of Nigeria and the communities that host our towers.
“We hope this donation will help contribute towards larger efforts to deliver more sustainable healthcare in Nigeria.”
On her part, Yagana A. Modu, Officer-in-Charge, Yerwa Maternal and Child Health Facility, Maiduguri, Borno state, said that: “This is a new dawn for the staff and management of Yerwa Maternal and Child Health facility. The power issue was long overdue, and I want to thank Pathfinder International and IHS Towers for their benevolence. This will improve our work and the quality of care in our facility”.
Ms Martha Dikko, Officer-in-Charge, Dakwa-Dantata PHC, Abuja, noted that: “This generator is so big! I am sure it will ease our work especially during delivery time that happens mostly at night, and in the storage of vaccines in the facility. We are immensely grateful”.
Supported by TAConnect, Pathfinder International is currently providing technical assistance to the Borno state government on Group Antenatal Care to improve sustained uptake and quality of well-integrated RMNCH services, including prevention of malaria in pregnancy and early detection and treatment of malaria.
Through its Access Project in FCT Abuja, Pathfinder International, with funding from MacArthur Foundation is advancing COVID-19 mitigation and recovery by curbing vaccine hesitancy, improving equitable access to quality vaccine services, and strengthening accountability mechanisms for vaccine delivery.
