The Justice, Development and Peace Caritas (JDPC) Nnewi, Social and Integral Development Centre (SIDEC), and the Anambra State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (ASPHCDA) have partnered under the SPARK II Project to strengthen community participation, accountability and responsiveness in primary healthcare delivery.
The partnership was announced during a capacity-strengthening activity held on November 11, 2026, at King David Hotel, Awka, with a focus on improving how community complaints and feedback, particularly on maternal and child healthcare services, are collected, documented and addressed.
The programme is designed to equip members of Ward Development Committees (WDCs) and Primary Healthcare Centre Officers-in-Charge (OICs) with the skills to systematically gather, analyse, communicate and respond to concerns raised by community members.
In her goodwill message, the Executive Secretary of ASPHCDA, Dr Chizoba Prisca Ezeasor, said the effectiveness of the healthcare system should not be measured only by the number of facilities constructed, equipment procured or health workers employed, but also by the experiences of people accessing healthcare services.
She noted that the Anambra State Government, under Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, had demonstrated commitment to improving healthcare access, including through free antenatal care and delivery services in public health facilities.
However, she stressed that providing free services was not enough without ensuring that healthcare was accessible, respectful, timely, safe and of acceptable quality.
Ezeasor described the SPARK II initiative as an opportunity to strengthen relationships between healthcare facilities and the communities they serve, identify service delivery gaps and promote evidence-based improvements.
She assured the partners that ASPHCDA was willing to integrate the feedback mechanism into its existing monitoring, supervision and accountability structures. She also emphasised the need to protect patients who raise concerns from intimidation or victimisation while ensuring that healthcare workers receive fair treatment and adequate support.
The Chairman of the Anambra State House of Assembly Committee on Health and member representing Aguata II Constituency, Hon. Tony Muobike, described primary healthcare as the most fundamental level of healthcare delivery.
He commended the agency, organisers and participants for their efforts towards improving primary healthcare services in the state.
Muobike also observed that maternal and child healthcare extended beyond services provided in hospitals and primary healthcare centres, stressing the importance of care and support within the home environment.
He added that ASPHCDA required the cooperation of stakeholders and community members to effectively fulfil its responsibility of ensuring that primary healthcare centres across the state function optimally.
In her remarks, the Executive Director of SIDEC, Mrs Ugochi Ehiahinuke, said the activity was designed to establish a structured feedback system connecting community members, WDCs, PHC OICs, local government health authorities and ASPHCDA.
She disclosed that the initiative would train 50 WDC members and 24 PHC OICs on maternal and child health feedback collection and management, while introducing standardised tools for documenting community experiences.
According to her, the programme would also strengthen the ability of healthcare centre managers to receive, review, respond to and follow up on complaints raised by residents.
Other areas of focus include addressing challenges such as high drug costs, inadequate sanitation, poor facility maintenance and unsatisfactory patient experiences.
Ehiahinuke further explained that the initiative would support PHCs and WDCs to develop practical business plans based on community feedback, establish a quarterly feedback collection and reporting system, and strengthen ASPHCDA’s ownership of the strategy through a formal handover of the tools and platform.
The partnership is expected to provide a more structured channel for community concerns to reach healthcare authorities and support improvements in primary healthcare service delivery across Anambra State.
Written by Enitan Mudashiru
