By joshua Ganaja Community, CPI Seek Upgrade to Secondary Health Facility, Gets Backing from KSPHCDA
Stakeholders in Ganaja Community, under the Ganaja Charter of Demand Project, have taken their campaign for a secondary healthcare facility to the Kogi State Primary Health Care Development Agency, KSPHCDA, as part of efforts to address growing healthcare gaps in the area.
A joint delegation comprising representatives of Ganaja Community, the Working Group on Provision of a Secondary Health Facility, and the Challenged Parenthood Initiative, CPI, paid an advocacy visit to the Agency.
The team, led by CPI Executive Director, Ms. Eunice Abimbola Agbogun, told KSPHCDA that residents of Ganaja urgently need a higher-level health facility to complement existing primary care services.
The community has identified a plot of land near the 500 Housing Units as the proposed site for the facility.
Presenting the demand, the Chairperson of the Working Group, Hon. Blessed Ibe, requested the Agency’s institutional backing and technical support to strengthen the case for the upgrade. The group also called for collaboration between KSPHCDA, the Kogi State Ministry of Health, and local stakeholders to ensure sustainable access to healthcare for Ganaja residents.
Responding, Dr. Emmanuel Bola, who represented the Executive Secretary of KSPHCDA, commended the community’s sustained advocacy. He noted that primary healthcare coverage in Ganaja and Geregu was already reaching saturation, making the demand for a secondary facility timely and justifiable.
Dr. Bola, however, advised the delegation to channel direct advocacy to the Honourable Commissioner for Health, Dr. Abdulazeez Adams Adeiza, since the establishment of secondary health facilities falls under the Ministry of Health. He also urged the group to engage the Bureau of Lands in Ajaokuta for verification, clearance and allocation of the proposed site to avoid future ownership disputes.
He assured the delegation that KSPHCDA was willing to provide technical guidance and formal justification for the proposed upgrade, and would present the request to the Agency’s leadership for consideration.
In her response, Ms. Agbogun said a formal advocacy letter had already been submitted to the Commissioner for Health, adding that engagement with the Ministry would continue alongside other stakeholder consultations.
Hon. Ibe confirmed the authenticity of the identified land, while the Working Group Secretary appreciated existing primary health services in the community but stressed that population growth now demands a higher level of care.
The visit ended with both parties agreeing on a coordinated pathway: continued engagement with the Ministry of Health, formal land documentation with the Bureau of Lands, and technical support from KSPHCDA.
CPI and the Working Group reaffirmed their commitment to pursuing the demand until a secondary healthcare facility is delivered to serve Ganaja and neighboring communities.