WAGs furnish medical facilities in Kebbi, Taraba

Rural Women Affinity Groups (WAGs) have furnished medical facilities in Kebbi and Taraba states of the Northeast of Nigeria, to improve service delivery to patients, especially women and children who patronise both health facilities.

Hospital beds and mattresses were part of the donations made to a clinic in the Sarkin Dawa Community of Bali Local Government Area of Taraba state. This healthcare facility provides health services to 14 communities in the LGA.

Secretary of WAGs in Sarkin Dawa, Hannatu Benjamin, said that the mattresses and the beds donated by the rural women to the clinic were to provide a conducive environment for women on admission, especially expectant mothers and other patients who would have need of the facility for healthcare services.

She said the donation was made by six different WAGs which included Sweet mother, Kauna Tallafi, Tattali, A tamaiki juna and Zumunci which came together to provide the medical facility with wooden beds, mattresses and a facelift of the facility.

Benjamin said the two wards bequeathed with the donations were in bad condition and uncomfortable for patients who come for medical services.

The condition of the facility was what prompted the women to take action, especially as many of them have been patients on admission at the public health facility and their experiences were not anything to write home about, so, they decided to make it more conducive for all members of the community.

The project was executed out of their social funds earmarked for expenses to cater for interventions of all kinds agreed upon by the women’s affinity groups.

Community Health Extension Worker (CHEW), and head of the medical facility at Sarkin Dawa, in Kussum Badakoshi Ward, Bali LGA, Sule Jalo, pointed out that the facility in the district serves 14 communities which included Sarkin Dawa, Mayo-Kam, Fencho, Garin Hamza, Dik and Letere.

Other beneficiaries of the intervention by the women are patients from Garin Zana, Bayero, Dadin Kowa, Dabang and Angwan Mairiga amongst others.

He said the facility was opened in 2003 as a dispensary, left unattended until the intervention of the WAG women. They bought beds, and 5 mattresses and painted the clinic giving it a facelift. He said they are exploring the possibility of opening the wards up to allow for ventilation.

Jalo said their interventions have made work easier for himself and supporting staff. He maintained that the women deserved to be commended by the state government

Nigerian Tribune can report that the social funds in the last nine months by the women group had grown from zero Naira to “N53, 286,820.00” in Kebbi state and the updated records of the Taraba state, WAGs obtained by Nigerian Tribune reads that in the three local government areas the records showed “Bali social funds at N29,770,370; Takum being higher at N31,825,970 and for Zing which is the lowest has risen to N21,505,640; cumulatively the figure stood at grand total N54,461,980 social funds as at independence day, 2022

The records further revealed their loan funds thus in Bali, the women have raised N189,537,040; Takum women gain a lead in their funds at N213,821,480, as the Zing women boxed N183,541,250 loan funds across the various WAGs, the cumulative loan funds stood at N586,899,760.

Another donation to the medical facility was carried out by the women of the Kokani South Argungu, in Kebbi state to the Argungu General Hospital, where ten rural women affinity groups donated sets of chairs to the maternity complex of the Argungu General Hospital.

The complex boasts 48 seats for women who come for their ante-natal and post-natal services. However, the Kukani South Women, noticed that their numbers to the facility on daily basis outnumber the seats provided by the Argungu General Hospital and have left many women standing while they are heavily pregnant, Bilkisu Lawal, leader of the Kungiyar Nasara, Sa’a, told the Nigerian Tribune.

According to her, the women affinity groups came together and brainstormed on the need to fill up the space with seats for easy waiting of the women who come for their maternity checkups but have to stand to wait for limited seats.

Mrs Lawal said the women agreed to make a donation of three chairs per affinity group and then groups made the donation of 30 chairs to swell the seating arrangement at the maternity complex of the Argungu General Hospital.

She said the women said they have to guard the chairs jealously because it reduced their pain of waiting to be attended to by the nurses and other medical personnel in the public health facility.

She also noted that they labelled the chairs because they wanted to ensure that they are located and remained at the maternity complex to serve its uses by making the wait easier for the pregnant women.

Lawal noted that the chairs may be considered a small donation to the hospital but the services they provided to the women cannot be quantified because it has indeed relieved some pressure on the facility and the many women who have to be restless waiting to be attended to by the nurses.

The officer in charge of general services in the chief Nurse office at the Argungu, Aleiro Haliru, pointed out that “the women have made it easier, such that we have a place where we can accommodate a larger number of women who come for antenatal.

“The chairs they brought are about 30 and so, it would go a long way. We are quite happy and encourage such community-driven gestures,” she said.

ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE 

• I Am Healthy, Fit To Serve Nigerians ― Tinubu

• Islamic Cleric Who Saved Christians, Airport Cleaner Among 437 National Honourees

• States To Access World Bank’s $750m Facility By December —Presidency

• MAN Faults Increase In MPR, CRR, Says Tougher Times Await Nation’s Manufacturing Sector

• Decomposing Bodies Of Two Missing Ladies Found In Kwara Hospital CMD’s Office

• 10 Quick Facts About Big Brother Naija Season 7 Winner, Phyna