The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has commissioned and handed over the renovated and expanded DISO Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) in Gwale Local Government Area of Kano State, the first of five primary healthcare facilities being upgraded by the organisation under a programme supported by the Global Fund.
The commissioning marks a major step in UNICEF’s efforts to strengthen primary healthcare infrastructure in Kano, while stakeholders have stressed that the sustainability of the investment will depend on effective collaboration between government, health authorities and the communities where the facilities are located.
At the handover ceremony, Shafeeq Ur-Rehman, UNICEF Chief of Field Office in Kano, called for stronger community ownership and partnership to ensure that the newly upgraded facility remains functional and continues to provide quality healthcare services to residents.
Ur-Rehman said the physical rehabilitation of the DISO PHC was only the beginning, noting that the real measure of the intervention would be the quality, accessibility and sustainability of healthcare services delivered to women, children and other members of the community.
He urged residents, traditional and community leaders and other stakeholders to take responsibility for protecting the facility and ensuring that the infrastructure is properly maintained.
According to him, regular maintenance, adequate deployment of qualified health workers and sustained availability of medicines, vaccines and other essential medical supplies would be critical to preventing the newly renovated facility from deteriorating.
He also called for continuous monitoring of activities at the centre, stressing that community participation would play an important role in ensuring accountability and sustaining the benefits of the intervention.
The upgraded DISO PHC has been expanded to provide a range of facilities intended to improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare delivery.
The improvements include a delivery room, laboratory, consultation room, nurses’ station, male and female wards and separate toilets for male and female persons with disabilities, among other infrastructure upgrades.
The intervention is part of a wider programme through which UNICEF is renovating five primary healthcare centres across Kano State with support from the Global Fund.
The commissioning of DISO PHC therefore represents the first completed facility under the five-centre intervention, with the broader programme expected to strengthen access to essential primary healthcare services in underserved communities.
Ur-Rehman commended the Kano State Government and the Kano State Primary Healthcare Management Board (SPHCMB) for their cooperation and partnership with UNICEF in implementing the project.
He said the intervention demonstrated the importance of collaboration among government institutions, development partners and local communities in addressing gaps in the primary healthcare system.
He also acknowledged the contribution of the Global Fund towards improving healthcare infrastructure and service delivery, reaffirming UNICEF’s commitment to supporting efforts to strengthen primary healthcare services in Kano State.
Speaking on behalf of Salisu Ibrahim, Director-General of the SPHCMB, Adamu Fate, Director of Administration, commended UNICEF and its development partners for the intervention.
Fate said the renovation and expansion of DISO PHC, as well as similar interventions across the state, would improve access to quality primary healthcare and provide residents with better-equipped facilities closer to their communities.
He expressed the board’s appreciation to UNICEF and its partners for their continued support towards upgrading health infrastructure and strengthening service delivery across Kano.
The handover comes amid growing emphasis on the need to ensure that investments in primary healthcare go beyond the construction and renovation of buildings.
For upgraded facilities to deliver lasting impact, stakeholders say they must be adequately staffed, supplied with essential medicines and equipment and subjected to regular maintenance.
The development is particularly significant for Kano, where primary healthcare centres serve as the first point of contact with the health system for many families, particularly pregnant women, children and residents requiring basic medical services.
UNICEF said the sustainability of the DISO PHC and the other facilities covered by the intervention would ultimately depend on the ability of government and communities to maintain the infrastructure and ensure that healthcare workers and essential supplies are consistently available.
The organisation therefore urged all stakeholders to treat the renovated facility not merely as a completed infrastructure project but as a long-term community health asset whose success would be measured by the number of lives improved through accessible and quality healthcare services.