Buhari Abba
In Kano State, where approximately 280 primary healthcare centers (PHCs) and health clinics serve the 44 local government areas (LGAs), the government often touts its achievements in the health sector, particularly regarding PHCs. However, the reality, as described by residents and observers, paints a starkly different picture. An investigation by Kano Times revealed a significant disconnect between government claims and on-ground realities.
Kwasauri’s Healthcare Woes
Five years after a torrential rainstorm destroyed the only health center in Kwasauri, a community in Dambatta Local Government Area, the facility remains non-operational, leaving thousands without access to essential healthcare services. Before its collapse in 2019, the Kwasauri Health Center served its community and six surrounding settlements, including Kanwaye, Kunyawa, Kunyawar Fulani, Dungurumi, Dungun Malamai, Sankarawa Lamin-tani, and ‘Dan-Gado. However, since the collapse, no replacement facility has been established.
Struggles of Healthcare Delivery
Abdulsalam Nasir Alhassan, the health center’s only remaining staff member, continues to provide care under challenging conditions, often treating patients in nearby school classrooms or under trees, where services are frequently interrupted by adverse weather. The nearest healthcare facility is the PHC in Dambatta, over 30 kilometers away, leading to increased maternal and infant mortality rates in the region.
Residents recount tragic stories of loss due to the absence of healthcare facilities. Hajara Kwasauri shared how her sister, Haule Yusha’u, died in 2020 after prolonged labor due to delays in reaching Dambatta Hospital. “I lost my sister a few years ago after she gave birth. It took us several hours to get a car to carry her to Dambatta Hospital. This compounded her suffering, and we eventually lost her and her baby,” she said.
Umaru Usman, a guard at Kwasauri Primary School, recalled a similar incident in 2021 when a pregnant woman named Jummai delivered her baby beside the collapsed health center and died shortly after due to lack of postnatal care. “There was a time a pregnant woman in labor arrived at this health center without knowing that the facility had collapsed; she gave birth beside the debris, and she eventually lost her baby,” he lamented.
Community’s Pleas for Intervention
Kwasauri Ward head, Mahmoud Muhammad, expressed deep concern over the lack of action regarding the community’s urgent need for a health center.
“We have been pleading for years for the reconstruction of our health center, but our cries seem to fall on deaf ears. It is disheartening to see our people suffering, especially when basic healthcare is a right everyone should have,” he said. “We call on the government to fulfill their promises and address this pressing issue.”
The Chief Imam of Kwasauri, Malam Shafi’u Ahmad, echoed the sentiments of the community. “Our faith teaches us the importance of caring for the sick, yet our hands are tied without a health facility. The community is losing hope, and the lack of response from our leaders is disheartening,” Malam Shafi’u remarked. “We urge those in power to remember their responsibilities to the people and act swiftly to remedy this situation.”
Community leader Kabiru Abdullahi Kwasauri expressed frustration over the continued neglect of their pleas to rebuild the health center. “The absence of a health center in this community is making life too hard for us. Whenever our people are sick, the journey to Dambatta is difficult due to the deplorable state of our roads. Despite our several appeals to various stakeholders, including local government, state government, and federal lawmakers, nothing has been done about it.”
This neglect forces residents into a difficult choice: travel long distances to overstretched public facilities or forgo proper medical care altogether. The consequences are dire, with many women turning to unsafe traditional birthing methods. Binta Umar, a resident, noted, “The deplorable state of healthcare at Kwasauri and the congestion at Dambatta Hospital have made some women resort to traditional birthing methods, which often lack proper hygiene and can be dangerous.”
Kano’s Healthcare Spending: Disparity Between Budget and Execution
Despite significant budget allocations, healthcare conditions in rural communities remain dire. From 2020 to 2024, Kano State allocated N118.1 billion to revitalize the health sector, yet infrastructural decay and staff shortages persist, especially in rural areas. Many pregnant women face severe complications like eclampsia, high blood pressure, excessive bleeding, and even untimely death.
“This shouldn’t be the reality for Kano residents,” said Sulaiman Ahmad Dandago, a healthcare finance expert. “Considering the supposed budgetary allocations aimed at improving healthcare in the state, such a situation is unacceptable.”
Dandago emphasized that the lack of a standard domesticated health policy and widespread corruption have deteriorated the situation. “However, corruption deteriorates everything. Government should concentrate more on preventive measures to curb corruption and its impacts,” he stated.
He further criticized the government’s handling of healthcare funds. “The government is just lying because everything now has been politicized, and corruption has ruined almost everything in Nigeria, especially in Kano,” Dandago said. He called for greater accountability, stressing, “To address this issue, government needs to understand the value of the lives of the people they are leading. They should not be so heartless, stealing and mismanaging money at the expense of the masses’ lives.”
Kano State Government’s Response
When contacted, the Commissioner of the Kano State Ministry of Health, Dr. Labaran Abubakar, acknowledged the issues with rural healthcare facilities. He emphasized that the government is making efforts to address these challenges, noting, “Over one thousand hospitals are planned to be rehabilitated by the Kano State Government this year.”
Despite the state’s ambitious plans, residents like those in Kwasauri continue to wait for tangible improvements to their healthcare infrastructure, hoping that promises will eventually turn into action.
