Manpower scarcity cripples Kwara PHCs regardless of thousands and thousands spent on renovations

At 11 a.m. on a Tuesday in 2023, Amina skilled her first contractions, marking the start of her labour for her first youngster.

Her husband, Abu, and neighbour Rufai hurriedly took her to the Basic Hospital in Okuta, Baruten Native Authorities Space of Kwara State, the place they reside.

Sadly, the 2 docs and different employees members had not reported for responsibility on the hospital and the supply room was locked. Some college students present process their industrial coaching on the hospital acquired the affected person. Nevertheless, when Amina’s contraction ache elevated and there was no signal of assist, her husband moved her to a personal medical facility within the city.

“The lady was in ache, however no one was there to take care of her. The supply room was locked, and it was after our arrival that the scholars we met went to name the employees member who held the important thing. However we needed to depart to avoid wasting the lives of the mom and the kid,” Mr Rufai recalled to PREMIUM TIMES.

“It’s unhappy that that is the state of the overall hospital, and even considering that the federal government simply rehabilitated it’s worrying,” he added.

The Kwara State Authorities awarded Hoak Turnkey Restricted a ₦35,571,881.25 contract to renovate the Basic Hospital in 2020. It was certainly one of 4 major healthcare centres lined by a renovation train of the state authorities that 12 months.

This reporter’s go to to the hospital in Could 2024 revealed a reworked facility boasting some fashionable gear courtesy of current renovations. Nevertheless, regardless of the upgrades, the hospital stays eerily abandoned on account of a crippling scarcity of medical employees.

Throughout a three-day commentary interval (Sunday to Tuesday), no docs reported for work on the hospital. The hospital’s pharmacist attributed the docs’ absence to their reluctance to reside within the city.

This common hospital was established to serve over 20 communities, together with Wondu, Hero, Tewu, Bushikparu, Alafiaru, Gorobani, Temideley, Boriya, Shiya, Tembonu, Tenge, Bankubu, Fonfon, Subayo, Gwanaguru, Donoru, Nikkikperu, Kenu, and Kikparu.

Nevertheless, when this reporter first arrived, the hospital had solely two sufferers regardless of having greater than ten wards and 20 beds.

Biliaminu Manne, a neighborhood resident, mentioned the hospital’s low affected person turnout was on account of a extreme scarcity of medical employees and the erratic attendance of the few well being staff.

He mentioned the wanted employees weren’t at all times round to take care of sufferers.

“I simply concluded my undergraduate research and am making ready for my obligatory Nationwide Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme, so I want a medical health certificates. However each time I visited this hospital for the take a look at, they mentioned the docs weren’t obtainable,” Mr Manne mentioned.

Ultimately, he travelled 196 km to Ilorin, the state capital, for the medical health take a look at.

N117m Spent on Renovation However PHCs Nonetheless Beneath NPHCDA Commonplace

In 2020, the Kwara State Authorities renovated 4 major healthcare centres (PHCs) in several communities at a complete price of greater than N117 million.

Three corporations executed the contracts. Akatech Development Restricted renovated PHC Gwanara Baruten LGA for ₦33,365,768 and PHC Kosubosu in Baruten LGA for ₦39,147,622; Dwa Development Firm Nigeria Restricted renovated the Isanlu Isin Well being Centre in Isin LGA for ₦11,153,246.62; and Olmash Worldwide Ltd renovated PHC Otte Oja in Asa LGA for ₦34,623,953.55.

Nevertheless, not one of the medical amenities meets the minimal requirements set by the Nationwide Major Healthcare Growth Company (NPHCDA).

In response to the NPHCDA pointers, PHCs are anticipated to supply 24-hour providers, be fenced, and have employees quarters or lodging for the employees throughout the neighborhood. They need to even have important drug provides, a waste disposal system, outfitted laboratories, and connections to the nationwide grid.

The PHC should even have a minimal of 4 nurses/midwives, 9 neighborhood well being extension staff (CHEW), a laboratory technician, a pharmacy technician and a medical officer (if obtainable). Nevertheless, this reporter noticed an insufficient variety of healthcare staff within the varied cadres within the amenities throughout its visits.

Not one of the 4 PHCs has a employees physician. Isanlu Isin PHC and Kosubosu PHC every had solely two nurses, whereas just one nurse was hooked up to every of Otte PHC and Gwanara PHC.

Employees Scarcity: Cause for low attendance of sufferers in Otte PHC

In response to a neighborhood well being employee who has labored there for eight years, a mean of 200 sufferers from varied communities used to go to Otte Oje PHC day by day.

Nevertheless, because the medical facility misplaced certified employees members, affected person attendance declined and now stands at under 40.

“Many residents stopped coming after our docs left,” the neighborhood well being employee mentioned.

She continued: “Once we had three docs at this PHC, we used to carry out surgical procedures, however now we’re unable to take action.”

She mentioned the PHC now refers maternity sufferers who want surgical procedure to hospitals in Ilorin, about an hour’s drive from the city.

“It’s because that is the one government-owned hospital on this neighborhood. The opposite one shut by is a psychiatric hospital,” she added.

No Entry To Maternal Healthcare Service In Isanlu Isin PHC

Muhammad Pate, Nigeria’s well being minister, says maternal well being is a basic human proper and that each girl, no matter socioeconomic background or residence, ought to have entry to high-quality healthcare earlier than, throughout, and after childbirth.

“It’s incumbent upon us, as leaders and advocates, to uphold this primary proper and work tirelessly in direction of its realisation,” the minister mentioned.

Nevertheless, maternal healthcare stays a problem for residents of Isanlu Isin in Isin Native Authorities Space of Kwara State, regardless of their PHC being a kind of the state authorities just lately renovated.

Lots of of ladies are denied this basic proper throughout childbirth on account of a staffing scarcity on the Isanlu Isin facility on which the Kwara Authorities spent N11 million renovating in 2020.

“We can’t take supply due to a employees scarcity. We don’t have docs and midwives professionally skilled in that side, and that is affecting our service,” a nurse advised this reporter on the hospital, asking to not be named for concern of victimisation.

The nurse mentioned the scenario has worsened as a result of the council’s common hospital, to which they often refer sufferers, presently doesn’t have licensed docs.

“We are actually referring our sufferers to Omu-Aran Basic Hospital (in Irepodun Native Authorities Space). The amenities are there, however with out certified and ample personnel, the machines and the instruments are ineffective,” the nurse mentioned.

We ‘borrow docs’

On Monday, Could 27, Youngsters’s Day, round midday, this reporter visited the PHC in Gwanara, a district in Baruten Native Authorities Space of Kwara State.

Following its renovation in 2020, the power and medical gear nonetheless appeared new. Nevertheless, the very first thing the reporter observed was the quiet surroundings, which is uncommon for Nigerian hospitals, particularly on a Monday morning.

No affected person was within the facility, and whereas that Monday was its Antimalarial Immunisation Day, just one youngster was introduced there.

There have been solely three staff within the hospital established to offer important well being providers to 1000’s of Gwanara residents and close by settlements.

The three employees members are a nurse – who’s the officer-in-charge – and two neighborhood well being staff.

Talking to this reporter, the officer-in-charge, Ibrahim Basheer, blamed the low affected person turnout on insufficient personnel, lack of electrical energy and water shortage.

“We face two main challenges right here. We don’t have a professional medical physician and there’s no electrical energy to pump water,” he mentioned.

“If we have now sufferers who must see a health care provider, we usually borrow from a close-by non-public hospital to avoid wasting our folks’s lives.”

This example is identical on the newly renovated PHV Kosubosu. Regardless of spending the sum of ₦39 million to renovate this facility, the Kwara Authorities seems to have ignored its want for personnel.

The PHC has solely two nurses and a laboratory technician on its employees. It doesn’t have a medical physician or a neighborhood well being employee.

“Individuals patronise the hospital, however not a lot as a result of there’s no physician. The side the place we have now sufficient patronage is the immunisation sector. There are nurses and different sectional employees, however we want a professional medical physician and pharmacist,” Zainab Habu, a nurse on the hospital, mentioned.

Kwara had 900 docs for 3.5m residents

A public well being doctor, Bosede Rotimi, mentioned in 2021 that Kwara State had 900 docs on its payroll. In a state of about 3.5 million folks, this interprets to about one physician for 4,000 sufferers.

The World Well being Organisation (WHO) recommends a doctor-patient ratio of 1:600.

Mr Rotimi noticed that the doctor-to-patient density, weak human sources, and poor regulation of healthcare practices within the state wanted to be addressed. Nevertheless, three years later, nothing appears to have modified.

Kwara govt admits insufficient personnel

When contacted for her response to our findings, the Kwara State Commissioner for Well being, Amina El-lmam, acknowledged that the state is dealing with vital points with human sources within the well being sector.

She mentioned, “On the challenges of human sources, this can be a nationwide and, certainly, international concern. One of many main points is the issue in retaining well being staff we rent. The state has mitigated this by the approval of 100 per cent CONHESS and CONMESS and full hazard cost. This has drastically stopped the native mind drain of state personnel to federal establishments.”

She additionally confirmed our findings that the Basic Hospital in Okuta has solely two docs, however mentioned 5 nurses, one pharmacist, two pharmacy technicians, 4 laboratory technicians, and three well being attendants are additionally on the hospital’s employees listing.

“In Basic Hospital Okuta that you just cited, we have been already engaged on getting extra docs to deploy to Okuta. The neighborhood and Emir have been requested to assist on this regard to recruit residents of Okuta. In lots of situations, we have now a standing supply of employment for keen professionals to enhance employees power.

READ ALSO: After 20 years of no recruitment, Oyo set to make use of 3,000 well being staff in 464 PHCs

“There’s steady capability constructing of well being staff to allow them to offer high quality care to the sufferers. We’re additionally rising the consumption of scholars (youth corp members) in our well being coaching establishments.

“Considerably, we have now created an enormous specialist coaching pipeline by the current assent to the Kwara State College Instructing Hospital KWASUTH regulation. This may facilitate the coaching of medical college students from KWASU and the specialist coaching of docs,” she added.

The commissioner additionally pledged to look into our findings in regards to the two docs and different well being employee’s irregular attendance on the common hospital and to take acceptable motion.

The story was supported with funding from the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Growth (CJID).