In Ogun state, Nigeria, a new road offers babies a path to vaccination
Hospital Road is still under construction, but staff at the Ogijo Primary Health Centre say immunisation days are busier already.
- 24 April 2023
- 6 min read
- by Eric Dumo
Kemi Adekanbi was full of smiles as she stepped out of the Ogijo Primary Health Centre, Ogun State, in Nigeria's south-west region, on the afternoon of Tuesday, April 11. It was 14 weeks since the 31-year-old woman had given birth to her daughter, Jire, and the very first time she was bringing her baby to the health facility for an immunisation of any kind.
The infant had already missed the anti-tuberculosis BCG vaccine that is recommended at birth, as well as the first and second doses of the five-in-one pentavalent, or "Penta," shot at six and ten weeks of age, which protects against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis b and haemophilus influenza type b.
“Since I gave birth to my daughter at a traditional birth centre close to our house, this month is the first time I am taking her to hospital for immunisation. If not for God’s grace and precautionary measures I have been taking, the baby could have fallen ill or even died of infection. It is the ongoing road construction that has made it possible for me to bring her all the way from Igbosoro to Ogijo for immunisation.”
– Kemi Adekanbi, mother to 16-week-old Jire
Jire should have been ready to receive Penta 3 by the time Adekanbi finally made it to the government hospital earlier this month. Adekanbi's excitement – a product of profound relief – was understandable.
She had never intended to wait this long before presenting her baby for vaccination. Before January 2023, when she gave birth, and when construction work began in earnest on Hospital Road, a 45km stretch connecting Ogijo with more than 30 communities and villages, moving in and out of her home in Igbosoro to other parts of the region had been close to impossible.
The situation was typically worse from March to September, when rainfall patterns shift from meagre to torrential, sweeping away lives and property caught in the rain's path.
In 2022 alone, at least three adults and two children from the area were swept away after the road became flooded following a heavy downpour. Those who try to defy the terrible state of the road to reach their destinations are liable to end their day with injuries as a result of all-too-common motorcycle accidents.
"As a result of this, many of us with pregnancy and new babies are forced to remain within our immediate environment, as we are not able to access the hospital.
Credit: Eric Dumo
"Since I gave birth to my daughter at a traditional birth centre close to our house, this month is the first time I am taking her to hospital for immunisation. If not for God's grace and precautionary measures I have been taking, the baby could have fallen ill or even died of infection. It is the ongoing road construction that has made it possible for me to bring her all the way from Igbosoro to Ogijo for immunisation," she added.
“On Tuesdays and Thursdays when we immunise babies, we have noticed that at least ten to 15 new babies are brought in each week by their mothers.”
– Mrs Lawal, senior nurse
Esther Kolawole is another young mother whose life has taken an exciting turn since the Hospital Road opened. Her daughter Dara, had to endure several weeks without being immunised as a result of the difficulty in accessing the Ogijo Health Centre from their home at Ewujomu. The nearly 20km trip had usually been a nightmare for those who embarked on it before now. But the story has changed – and for good.
Credit: Eric Dumo
"My daughter is now five months old and recently I had to take her to the health centre for medical checks. She is warming up to take her Vitamin A [supplementary dose] and this is all because the road is now passable," Kolawole said.
"It was a different experience in the past because no commercial motorcycle riders will agree to carry a woman and baby to pass through the bad road. A lot of people usually fell and injured themselves because of stones and mud on the road which cause bikes to slip and fall.
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"But since January this year, when the road construction gathered momentum, I have been taking her to the hospital for immunisation and other medical examinations. The nurses have been very helpful by administering the necessary vaccines and medicines she needs to stay healthy," she added.
A senior nurse at the health centre, who identified herself as Mrs Lawal, said that since the ongoing road construction began in December 2022, the facility has become much busier.
"There is clearly a significant increase in the number of children being brought to the centre for immunisation lately. Unlike in the past, especially when the road construction had not begun, we now have women bringing babies all the way from Fakale, Ewujomu, Eyita and even Igbosoro.
“This road links Ogijo to several communities and even up to Sagamu. Once the road is completed, it will make life easier for residents. Already, it has made evacuating people to hospital much faster and easier.”
– Imam Mutiu, community leader in Ogijo
"On Tuesdays and Thursdays when we immunise babies, we have noticed that at least ten to 15 new babies are brought in each week by their mothers. We are happy about the development because it means that more children are now being covered within the region," Lawal said.
Commercial motorcycle rider Arowoselu Rotimi, who has operated in the area for more than five years, disclosed that they are now able to carry pregnant women and nursing mothers from anywhere to the hospital because of the improved road surface. According to him, the development has reduced travel time, accidents and injuries.
Credit: Eric Dumo
"Though the ongoing road construction is a bit slow, we are already enjoying its benefits.
"In the past, whenever it rains, we won't be able to pass through Alago Junction, which is one of the worst portions of the road, for several hours. But things have improved and we are so far able to pass through those places with relative ease," he said.
Imam Mutiu, a community leader in Ogijo, disclosed that the ongoing road construction has made the evacuation of persons needing urgent medical care to the hospital swift.
"This road links Ogijo to several communities and even up to Sagamu. Once the road is completed, it will make life easier for residents.
"Already, it has made evacuating people to hospital much faster and easier," he said.
Apart from revamping old and abandoned roads, the Ogun and Lagos governments, under a joint development partnership signed in May 2021, started embarking on massive construction of new roads, especially in border towns, to further ease movement around those places.
In Ogijo – a large urban centre connecting both states – the construction of major linkages like Hospital Road is already bearing significant fruits, affording unprotected children like Jire in more than 30 communities across the region the opportunity to access life-saving vaccines.
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