Nigeria: Left Behind

In the dead of night, with no transport, Nafisat delivered her third child by lantern light. “I gave birth to all three of my children at home due to the absence of a health facility. Pregnant women either go to Shuwaki or Bichi in another local government for deliveries and antenatal care, which is over 10 kilometres,” says Nafisat Jarkuka, a mother in Jar Kuka, a rural community in Kano State. Her experience mirrors that of many women who risk their lives daily due to the absence of a health facility nearby.

Jar Kuka is a rural settlement in Ghari Local Government Area of Kano State with over 2500 residents, but no single health facility, neither a Health Post nor a Primary Health Care (PHC) facility. The closest centre is about 10 kilometres away in Shuwaki. According to WHO standards, every household should be within 5 kilometres of a primary healthcare centre, but Jar Kuka and neighbouring communities, including Kwadagwalle, Kaudawa, and Sabaru, with a combined population of over 10,000, are left without accessible care.

Poor road conditions, especially during the rainy season, and limited transportation options make the journey to health facilities dangerous and sometimes fatal, particularly for pregnant women and children.

“If we don’t find a ride, we stay home and soak herbs. If God helps us, they will survive. If not, we try to reach Shuwaki on a bike,” says Lubabatu Hamza, a mother of six whose children include those with sickle cell disorder.

Nasiru Hamisu from Kwadagwalle shares: “Only two of my seven children were born in the hospital. The rest were delivered at home by traditional birth attendants. When complications come, we struggle with the inaccessible road, especially during the rainy season.”

Naziru Dalhatu, the community head (Mai Unguwa) of Jar Kuka, confirmed that the settlement has no health facility. Naziru Dalhatu said, “We need a health facility because our roads are inaccessible, there are few bikes, and at night, it becomes even harder, and our women deliver on the road sometimes“.

The absence of a nearby health centre continues to put more lives at risk, widen inequities, and overburden distant facilities. With no ambulance, no skilled birth attendants, and no emergency care, women and children in Jar Kuka are left to fate.

Despite Nigeria’s renewed push to ensure equitable access to quality healthcare under its Health Sector Renewal Plan, communities like Jar Kuka are still left behind, with no clinic, no ambulance, and no hope in emergencies.

Jar Kuka’s plea is not for luxury, just a safe place to give birth. Now is the time for policymakers to honour the promise of health equity by ensuring no community is left to fate

“Our women and children are suffering. We just want the government to see us and build a health centre here,” pleads community head Naziru Dalhatu. “Even a small clinic will save lives.”