Katsina women gain safer maternity care after renovation
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In Katsina State, Nigeria, UNICEF renovated the Bakiyawa Maternal and Child Health Centre (MCHC) with funding from the Global Fund, improving care for women and children after years of limited services.
Suwaiba Abubakar, a mother of nine who delivered all her children at the facility, remembers a time when women in labor sometimes shared wards with other patients due to a lack of a dedicated labor room.
Previously, women needing blood transfusions during or after childbirth faced delays because they had to travel to hospitals in other towns. The renovated center now offers a safer environment, encouraging more women to seek care. Fatima Yusuf, a local resident, explained that the poor condition of the old facility previously led some women to rely on traditional birth attendants. Dr.
Serekeberehan Seyoum of UNICEF urged the Katsina State Government to maintain the upgraded facilities by providing sufficient staff, medicines, and regular maintenance. Dr. Shema’u Kabir, acting Executive Secretary of the Katsina State Primary Health Care Agency, assured residents that the government would equip the center and integrate it into a wider program to revitalize healthcare facilities across all 361 wards in the state.
Suwaiba Abubakar and other community members hope the government will also address the need for adequate medical supplies, personnel, and improved roads to ensure complete and accessible care for all.
