JDPC Nnewi Takes Healthcare Accountability Campaign to Onitsha Catholic Faithful

By Praise Chinecherem

The Justice, Development and Peace Commission (JDPC), Nnewi, has taken its healthcare sensitisation campaign to Catholic faithful at St. Jude Catholic Church, Onitsha, Anambra State, urging residents to take an active role in monitoring and improving primary healthcare delivery in their communities.

The sensitisation, organised through the Ward Development Committee (WDC), focused on strengthening community awareness, participation and monitoring of Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs), particularly in the areas of maternal and child healthcare.

Speaking during the programme, WDC Chairman for Woliwo, Mrs. Ijeoma Okafor, said the initiative was designed to intensify public awareness and encourage communities to support efforts aimed at improving access to quality healthcare.

She urged residents to embrace the JDPC programme, describing it as a grassroots initiative aimed at helping communities identify and address healthcare challenges.

Okafor also highlighted the role of the Anambra State Health Insurance Agency (ASHIA), saying the scheme introduced by Governor Chukwuma Soludo had helped ease the burden of hospital bills on low-income residents.

According to her, pregnant women can access free antenatal care and treatment under the scheme.

She explained that community-based civil society organisations (CSOs) operate under the Spark II intervention in partnership with state CSOs, including Community Empowerment Network (COMEN), Civil Rights Concerns (CRC) and Social and Integral Development Centre (SIDEC), with support from the International Budget Partnership (IBP).

“Our role is primarily to facilitate community participation, strengthen the capacity of community structures such as the WDCs, support community monitoring of Primary Healthcare Centres, document service gaps and connect identified issues with the appropriate health authorities for action,” Okafor said.

She stressed that the initiative goes beyond organising medical outreaches, noting that its broader objective is to strengthen the relationship between communities and their primary healthcare facilities.

“JDPC Nnewi is not simply providing a medical outreach; we are using the outreach as an opportunity to bring communities closer to their Primary Health Centres, understand the barriers they face and strengthen accountability around maternal and child healthcare,” she said.

Okafor said the ultimate goal of the intervention was to improve access to and utilisation of quality primary healthcare, particularly maternal and child health services.

“Spark II operates across 24 communities and 64 PHCs, with a strong emphasis on community voice and accountability,” she added.

She explained that through community engagement, residents are able to identify challenges affecting healthcare delivery, including access to services, information, referrals, health-seeking behaviour, availability of drugs and equipment, as well as the responsiveness of healthcare providers.

According to her, such concerns can then be documented and followed up with the relevant health authorities.

“The ultimate objective is not just to conduct a one-day medical activity, but to contribute to stronger, more responsive and community-centred PHC systems,” she said.

JDPC: Outreach Is Not Intended to Duplicate Existing Services

Addressing concerns that the initiative could be perceived as going beyond its mandate, Okafor said Spark II was designed as a community-based accountability and health-system-strengthening intervention.

She explained that its activities are implemented in selected communities across different local government areas where health outreaches are taking place.

“Spark II does not seek to duplicate or take over services from any establishment. Rather, we support the community to participate, identify its healthcare needs, link people with available services and generate evidence on issues that may require attention beyond the outreach itself,” she said.

According to her, the Onitsha South outreach forms part of the wider Spark II strategy of strengthening the relationship between communities and PHCs.

“The fact that another outreach may exist does not mean that all healthcare needs have been addressed. Our interest is to ensure that communities are empowered to understand, demand and monitor the healthcare services available to them, while working collaboratively with government health structures and other stakeholders,” Okafor said.

She said the initiative was particularly concerned with what happens after a medical outreach has ended.

“In practical terms, Spark II is about moving from ‘an outreach that was conducted’ to ‘what happens after the outreach?’” she said.

“We want the community to remain engaged with its PHC, the WDC to understand its oversight role, health workers to hear community concerns, and unresolved issues to reach the appropriate authorities.

“That is where the value of JDPC Nnewi and the CSO partnership under Spark II comes in,” she noted.

Beneficiaries Welcome Healthcare Sensitisation

Expressing satisfaction with the sensitisation programme, which followed the morning Mass at St. Jude Catholic Church, a member of the congregation, Mrs. Perpetual Umeh, commended the initiative and thanked the Anambra State Government for what she described as free healthcare services provided through ASHIA.

Umeh also thanked JDPC Nnewi for bringing information about the programme to the church, saying it was the first time she had heard about the commission’s efforts to promote improved healthcare delivery in the area.

Another participant, Mrs. Veronica Okpala, also commended the introduction of ASHIA, particularly its reported provision of access to check-ups, medication and antenatal services for pregnant women.

“With this free medication by Soludo, whoever curses him, it is back to sender because you have scores who are sick but cannot afford hospital bills,” Okpala said.

The sensitisation formed part of the broader community engagement efforts aimed at encouraging residents to understand, access and monitor primary healthcare services while strengthening communication between communities, healthcare providers and relevant authorities.