Every time a woman goes into labour in Gyartai, her family prepares for more than childbirth. They prepare for a risky home delivery or a journey to another community. Three months after residents demanded better maternal health services during a town hall meeting, Gyartai PHC still lacks a midwife, leaving safe delivery services out of reach for thousands.

In February 2026, residents of Gyartai Ward in Ghari Local Government Area, Kano State, gathered at a town hall and scorecard assessment meeting organised by Nigeria Health Watch and AkinSavvy to demand the deployment of skilled health workers, an upgrade of Gyartai health post to a Primary Health Centre (PHC), improved infrastructure, and better access to Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) services. While the facility continues to provide outpatient care, immunisation, nutrition, antenatal care, laboratory services and BHCPF services, labour and delivery services remain unavailable.

“Our women still cannot deliver here,” said Yau Haruna, Officer-in-Charge of the facility, during a follow-up visit in May. “We have searched for a midwife without success. There is none available within the local government. We can only get one from a neighbouring LGA if we can cover the costs.”

He explained that the facility, despite being a health post, serves over 10,000 people, a population capacity of a level 2 PHC and currently depends on an antenatal care worker commuting from Kano city, support staff from Shuwaki PHC and a community volunteer to sustain services.

For pregnant women like Lami Umar, the absence of delivery services means uncertainty at the most critical moment. She appealed to government authorities to ensure the facility begins providing safe delivery services. Similarly, resident Sheikh Nasiru Liman questioned why Gyartai PHC still functions like a health post despite having the same designation as Shuwaki PHC.

According to Nasiru Gwarzo, Community Engagement Focal Person for Primary Health Care in Kano State, the shortage of skilled health workers reflects the limited number of trained professionals from rural communities. “We encourage parents to support their children to study Midwifery, CHEW and JCHEW. Recruiting health workers from within these communities is essential for providing round-the-clock maternal and child health services,” he said.

“There has, however, been modest progress”. Ward Development Committee (WDC) Chairman, Abdu Ladan, said the committee convened after the town hall with the councillor and youth representatives to address the facility’s drug shortages. He also revealed that three young people from the ward are currently studying community health extension workers (CHEW) and junior community health extension workers (JCHEW) in Kazaure, offering hope for the future workforce.

Despite being a BHCPF-supported facility, Gyartai health post remains unable to provide one of the most essential components of primary healthcare, safe childbirth. The continued absence of skilled birth attendants forces women to seek care elsewhere, increasing the risks of delays, complications and poor maternal and newborn health outcomes.

Nigeria’s Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII) prioritises an efficient, equitable and quality health system through strengthened primary healthcare services. The situation in Gyartai demonstrates that achieving this vision requires not only infrastructure and funding but also the timely deployment of skilled health workers to underserved communities.

Community members are calling on policymakers and development partners to;

• Deploy at least one qualified midwife to Gyartai PHC and
• Upgrade the facility to provide comprehensive 24-hour maternal and newborn care.

As Haruna remarked during the follow-up meeting, “A health centre that cannot help women give birth is still incomplete.”