Time was not on Zuwaira Yakubu’s side. After a long walk to Geljeure’s Maternity Clinic, in Bauchi, she was in labour and seriously bleeding. She needed immediate help to save both herself and her unborn child.
Time was not on Zuwaira Yakubu’s side. Nine months pregnant and bleeding heavily, she had already made a long walk to Geljeure’s Maternity Clinic, in Bauchi. She needed immediate help to save both herself and her unborn child. Fortunately, such help was right-on-hand. A trained nurse provided her with the necessary services to halt the bleeding. A potentially perilous road trip to a distant hospital became unnecessary. Accessibility to right resources and skills, making it possible to deal with problems like those presented by Zuwaira is made possible by TSHIP through health facility renovation, equipping and training of services providers. What saved Zawaira’s life and likely to save more women is a refurbished health clinic which is now equipped with medical equipment including an emergency trolley. That wasn’t always the case in most health facilities in Bauchi state. Zuwaira said that ‘in the past when we visited this clinic (Geljeure’s Maternity Clinic), they would refer us to other bigger hospitals further away’. The clinic was run-down, lacking medical drugs, and did not have a proper water supply system. However, it was turned around by the local WDC. Volunteers, helped by the local government and TSHIP dug a borehole and set-up electric supply to the clinic. TSHIP supplied medical equipment including an emergency trolley and trained staff to use it. Hassana Adamu is one of the maternity nurses that was trained. She learnt how to administer injections safely, manage post-partum hemorrhages, and use the emergency trolley. Such skills and equipment came in handy in saving Zuwaira and providing the needed care to her child. The clinic’s improved facilities and its provision of free drugs to mothers and children, have made it a vital hub for maternal and child services. ‘The situation has changed dramatically’, said Hassana. ‘We would have about 30 – 40 clients in six months but now we have over 300 in one month’. More use of services means more opportunities for preventive health education for mothers and women accessing other services at the health facility. Published with TSHIP permission. TSHIP works to establish strong and durable bonds between community institutions and the healthcare delivery system in every ward Bauchi and Sokoto States, with measurably improved household practices and increased use of services.