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By Afred Ajayi
Communities in Anambra State have been urged to prioritise healthcare over other development needs, particularly roads, to improve maternal and child health outcomes and strengthen Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) across the state.
The call was made at a town hall meeting organised under the Strengthening Public Accountability for Results and Knowledge (SPARK 2) programme, implemented by Justice Development and Peace Caritas (JDPC), Nnewi, in partnership with the Social and Integral Development Centre (SIDEC), Civil Rights Concern (CRC) and Community Empowerment Network (COMEN), with support from the International Budget Partnership (IBP).
Director of JDPC Nnewi, Rev. Fr. Benedict Okolo, urged participants to speak frankly about the challenges facing PHCs and suggest practical solutions to improve maternal and child healthcare.
He said issues that could not be resolved at the meeting would be taken to relevant government ministries, departments and agencies for action.
Executive Director of SIDEC, Ugochi Ehiahuruike, said SPARK 1 and SPARK 2 had made significant progress in promoting accountability in the health sector but stressed the need for sustained collaboration to improve service delivery.
She identified staff shortages, patient care, availability of essential medicines and the impact of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) as issues requiring attention.
Ehiahuruike, however, expressed concern that healthcare rarely features prominently in communities’ Community Charters of Demands (CCDs).
“It is difficult to see CCDs targeting PHCs. Communities have many healthcare needs, yet roads often dominate their first, second and third priorities,” she said.
She urged Ward Development Committees (WDCs) to keep Presidents-General informed about developments in their PHCs and encourage communities to include healthcare among their development priorities.
The Executive Director of Civil Rights Concern, Okey Onyeka, described the town hall as an important platform for obtaining direct feedback from communities on the performance of healthcare facilities.
While acknowledging government efforts, Onyeka said PHCs must operate more efficiently to meet the healthcare needs of women and children.
Chairman of COMEN, Anambra State, Ide Godwin Eze, said safe pregnancy and childbirth should remain a priority for every community. “God gives children, but delivery must be peaceful without complications,” he said.
Eze urged stakeholders to honestly assess government interventions and determine whether they were reaching the people they were designed to benefit.
Providing an overview of SPARK 2, Onyekachi Ololo, Programme Manager at JDPC Nnewi, said the programme promotes maternal and child healthcare through community participation and accountability.
He disclosed that the programme operates in 24 communities and 54 health facilities, where WDCs monitor government programmes and sensitise residents about services available at PHCs.
Ololo noted that some newly elected Presidents-General were unaware of the existence of WDCs, urging committee members to deliberately engage community leaders and strengthen cooperation with community health committees.
Representing the Executive Secretary of the Anambra State Primary Health Care Development Agency (ASPHCDA), Dr. Chizoba Ezeasor, the Director of Community Health, Dr. Ngozi Okeke, said the state had recorded improvements in primary healthcare through SPARK 2 interventions.
She disclosed that Anambra has 630 healthcare facilities, comprising PHCs, health posts and health clinics.
Okeke called for stronger collaboration among stakeholders and stressed the need for women, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups to be represented on WDCs to ensure inclusive healthcare.
She said the new ASPHCDA leadership under Dr. Chizoba Ezeasor was prioritising the recruitment of additional health workers, expressing optimism that improved staffing would strengthen PHC services.
She also reminded local government chairmen that primary healthcare remains their responsibility and announced plans to launch a Food Bank for Malnourished Children on September 10, 2026, to provide nutritional support for vulnerable children.
The meeting also highlighted barriers facing persons with disabilities.
Chairman of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD), Anambra State Chapter, Ugochukwu Okeke, said free healthcare did not automatically guarantee accessibility.
He said accessibility audits revealed poorly constructed ramps, facilities without handrails, buildings without ramps and narrow doorways unsuitable for wheelchair users. He also called for designated facilities and services to address communication barriers faced by deaf patients.
President-General of Amiyi and Chairman of ASTUC, Anambra North, Comrade Chike Ogbonia, pledged to take the resolutions of the meeting to the grassroots and engage stakeholders on challenges affecting PHCs.
Representing ASTUC President Blessing Onuigwe, Women Vice-President I, Margaret Ejike, said the organisation would encourage women to enrol in health insurance schemes.
The Supervisory Councillor for Health, Idemili South Local Government Area, Ifeanyi Mbaegbu, urged participants to leverage partnerships to address PHC challenges and encouraged health workers to give their best.
The Head of Planning at the Anambra State House of Assembly, Arinze Ego, advised communities to engage their lawmakers to ensure healthcare priorities receive attention in state budgets.
The meeting brought together Presidents-General, WDC members, COMEN and JONAPWD representatives, government officials and other stakeholders, who agreed that communities must give healthcare greater priority alongside improved staffing, funding, infrastructure and accountability to achieve better maternal and child health outcomes.
