Respite for Bakiyawa Women After Years of Poor Maternity Care

Francis Sardauna writes that after years of enduring poor facilities and limited healthcare services, the recent renovation of the Bakiyawa Maternal and Child Health Centre (MCHC) by UNICEF, with funding from the Global Fund, has given Suwaiba Abubakar, a mother of nine, fresh hope for safer and better healthcare for women and children in her community

For Suwaiba Abubakar, the Bakiyawa Maternal and Child Health Centre (MCHC) in Batagarawa Local Government Area of Katsina State is more than a hospital. It is where she gave birth to all her nine children and where each of them received their routine vaccinations.

But for years, the 45-year-old mother associated the facility with more than memories of childbirth. She also remembers the discomfort, poor maternity care, limited services and anxiety that women faced whenever they came to seek care.

Before its renovation by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), with funding from the Global Fund, Suwaiba said women in labour sometimes had to give birth in the same ward where other female patients were being treated because the centre had no dedicated labour room.

In an exclusive interview with THISDAY on the sideline of the project’s inauguration, Suwaiba said the experience was particularly uncomfortable for women who needed privacy and specialised attention during labour. 

“Sometimes, women in labour had to give birth in the same ward where other female patients were staying because there was no labour room,” she recalled.

She also recalled how women who require blood during or after childbirth were being referred to neighbouring hospitals in Babban Ruga, a situation she added, was dangerous in emergencies where every minute counts.

“When a woman needs blood, she has to be taken to another hospital. This is a serious challenge, especially for women who lose a lot of blood during childbirth, and other patients seeking immediate blood transfusion services,” she said.

However, the 45-year-old mother, who was visibly excited by the renovation, said: “I gave birth to all my nine children here and they all received their vaccinations here. The renovation will improve the hospital and encourage more women within and outside Bakiyawa to use the facility.”

She added that the renovated Maternal and Child Health Centre is not merely a refurbished hospital, but a place where memories of anxiety and discomfort during childbirth and other health-seeking services are replaced with hope of life. 

While commending UNICEF for coming to their aid, Suwaiba appealed to the Katsina State Government to provide the health centre with adequate medical equipment, additional health workers, essential drugs and other consumables needed to sustain effective service delivery.

She said such support would ensure that women and children who come to the facility can receive comprehensive healthcare without being referred elsewhere for services that should be available at the centre.

Another woman from the community, Fatima Yusuf, said: “The condition of the old facility made many women afraid to go there. Sometimes, we had no choice but to depend on traditional birth attendants because the health centre was not in a condition we could trust.

“We are happy that attention is finally being given to maternal healthcare in our community. What we need now is for the facility to remain functional, with qualified health workers, drugs, water and other basic equipment.”

The mother of three, who was seen leaving the old section of the hospital with cannula in her right hand, added that: “All women and children in this place depend on this health centre. So, if the facility works properly, it will save families the stress and danger of travelling elsewhere for treatment.”

Her concern was echoed by the Health Manager, UNICEF Field Office Kano, Dr Serekeberehan Seyoum, who urged the state government to ensure adequate staffing, regular provision of essential medicines and supplies, routine maintenance and the prompt commencement of quality services at the facility.

Seyoum, who spoke while handing over the renovated centre to the state government on Thursday, said the sustainability of the investment would depend on effective management and continued commitment from government and community stakeholders.

He described the completion of the renovation of the Bakiyawa MCHC; Sabon Gari Primary Health Centre in Daura and Dandutse Primary Health Centre in Funtua as an important step towards improving access to essential healthcare and creating better working conditions for health workers.

He said the upgraded facilities would particularly benefit women, children and other vulnerable groups within and outside the shores of the three benefiting local government areas of the state.

Seyoum said: “Under the Global Fund implementation support, UNICEF served as the implementation partner for the renovation of three Primary Health Care facilities: MCHC Bakiyawa (Batagarawa LGA), Sabon Gari PHC (Daura LGA), and Dandutse PHC (Funtua LGA).

“We are pleased that the renovation works have been successfully completed and the facilities are now ready to provide quality health services to their communities.

“These improved facilities will contribute to better access to essential health services, enhanced working conditions for health workers, and improved health outcomes for women, children and other vulnerable populations.”

He added that: “Today (Thursday), UNICEF formally hands over these facilities to the Katsina State Primary Health Care Agency, transferring responsibility for their management, utilization, and maintenance to the state government and stakeholders in benefiting communities. 

“We encourage the state government to ensure adequate staffing, provision of essential supplies, routine maintenance, and the prompt commencement of quality service delivery so that communities can immediately benefit from this investment.

“On behalf of UNICEF, we are proud to hand over these renovated facilities and look forward to seeing them serve as centres of quality health care for the benefit of communities across Katsina State.”

Unveiling the Bakiyawa MCHC facility amidst jubilation by residents, the acting Executive Secretary of the Katsina State Primary Health Care Agency, Dr Shema’u Kabir, said the government would provide the equipment required for the centre to resume full operations.

She said the agency would assess the facility’s outstanding needs and make a formal request to the state government for additional equipment to complement what has already been provided.

She further explained that health workers who were providing services at the facility before the renovation would return and continue their duties, adding that the state government is currently implementing a programme to revitalise at least one healthcare facility in each of the state’s 361 wards.

She stressed that another health facility in Bakiyawa had already benefited from comprehensive government intervention, including renovation, provision of equipment, a tricycle, an ambulance and human resources for health. 

Dr. Kabir stated that the newly renovated facility would require further government support as it is an additional facility beyond those already prioritised under the state’s revitalisation programme.

The acting executive secretary applauded UNICEF for supporting the Katsina State Government in improving maternal and child health services and other healthcare programmes across the state. She said: “Not only the infrastructure, they (UNICEF) are supporting the state government in terms of strengthening the human resource for health, the quality of the services we are providing. 

“So they have been one major partner that we have been working with, and we will continue to collaborate with UNICEF to improve the maternal and child health intervention and services in Katsina State”.

Earlier, the Vice-Chairman of Batagarawa Local Government Area, Abdulrahman Ahmed Ajiwa, described the UNICEF intervention as a significant step towards improving access to healthcare services in the community. He said the initiative would help bring essential healthcare services closer to residents, particularly those in underserved communities, and urged residents to take ownership of the projects and ensure that the facilities are properly maintained for the benefit of the people.

He also called on the community to protect projects provided by the government and development partners, stressing that their sustainability depends largely on the support and cooperation of the beneficiaries.

But Suwaiba, who had gone through childbirth nine times, believes that the renovation will only be complete when women who come to the centre in the most critical moments of their lives can access every service they need without being sent elsewhere. “For us mothers, we want a hospital where we can come and receive complete care, especially when there is an emergency. We are grateful for what has been done, but we still need more,” she said.

Her message is simple but crucial: a renovated hospital can change the appearance of healthcare, but adequate equipment, personnel and emergency services are what ultimately save lives. Beyond the renovated health centre, Suwaiba appealed to the state government to reconstruct the road linking the community, which she said was critical in accessing healthcare and facilitating the movement of people, goods and services.