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The Atoruru Primary Health Care Centre (PHC) successful Owan West section authorities country of Edo State has emerged arsenic a exemplary of assemblage healthcare revival aft years of neglect, pursuing involution by the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation.
Once a shadiness of anticipation plagued by cause shortages, dilapidated structures, and near-empty registers, the installation present thrives nether the foundation’s Adopt-a-Health Facility Programme (ADHFP).
For years, implicit 16,000 residents of Atoruru and surrounding settlements faced a grim world — mothers gave commencement astatine location without skilled attendants, children missed captious vaccines, and families spent scarce income travelling agelong distances for treatment.
The nationalist maternal mortality ratio of 993 per 100,000 unrecorded births and under-five mortality of 110 per 1,000 successful 2023 were not specified statistic present — they were lived experiences.
Nurse Ehiaghe Aigbogun recalls those hard years: “We would grounds zero ANC visits immoderate months due to the fact that women knew we had nary robust supplements oregon malaria prevention.
“They would alternatively enactment location than discarded a day’s farming income connected fruitless travel,” she said.
Between January and September 2024, records showed months without a azygous antenatal visit, deliveries reduced to arsenic debased arsenic 4 per month, and immunisation sessions halted wholly astatine times. With nary mosquito nets oregon preventive malaria treatment, the load of illness deepened.
Twenty-eight-year-old farmer’s wife, Ivie Osaigbovo, said her past transportation took spot astatine home.
“The session had nary light, nary water, and the midwife told america she had nary gloves that day,” she recounted.
Community elder, Chief Osaro Idahosa, besides recalled, “We spent a batch of wealth rushing our children to different communities for treatment. There were days you’d spell to the PHC and find nary malaria drugs astatine all.”
That bleak world began to alteration successful October 2024 erstwhile the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation intervened. The centre was renovated with caller roofing, painted walls, transportation beds, stocked pharmacies, vaccine retention units, insecticidal nets and indispensable supplements.
The results were swift and remarkable. By November 2024, 38 children were afloat immunised; the fig roseate to 48 by February 2025. Antenatal visits jumped from 3 to 9 monthly, and deliveries stabilised astatine 4 to six. Malaria prevention improved, with 32 IPT doses and 47 mosquito nets fixed to large women by May 2025.
The assemblage wellness hold worker, Grace Enahoro, shared: “Before, we recorded zero malaria tests immoderate months due to the fact that we had nary kits. In March 2025 alone, we tested 48 children and 14 adults and treated each affirmative lawsuit immediately.”
The renewed spot is visible. Outreach sessions present pull 4 times the expected fig of participants.
“We expected 20 people; implicit 80 came! Now erstwhile we denote immunisation days, mothers get earlier dawn,” said wellness idiosyncratic Osayande.
For galore residents, the translation is profoundly personal.
“With my archetypal child, I had conscionable 2 ANC visits due to the fact that the session was unreliable. This time, I attended each 8 sessions and received robust supplements each month,” said young parent Blessing Osawe.
Sixty-year-old farmer, Pa Igbinovia, added: “Last year, we astir mislaid my grandson to fever. This year, erstwhile my granddaughter fell ill, the PHC had tests, medicines, everything. She’s live and backmost successful schoolhouse due to the fact that of that.”
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