By Chinedum Treasure
SPARK II Project in Anambra state has called on State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (ASPHCDA) to ensure its Primary Health Centers (PHCs) implement Gender-Sensitive Business Plans.
COMEN IBP SPARK Consultant, Ugochi Ehiahuruike gave the advice during advocacy visit to the Executive Secretary, ASPHCDA, Pharm. Chisom Uchem in her office.
The SPARK II Project, funded by the International Budget Partnership (IBP) is being co-implemented in the state by JDPC Nnewi, COMEN, and CRC.
Ehiahuruike said the visit was aimed at exploring sustainable approaches and areas of co-creation that would strengthen the Agency’s efforts in driving systemic reforms for improved service delivery at primary healthcare centers, particularly in maternal and child health.
She said the SPARK Project is positioned to co-create and adopt review processes that assess PHC business plans against gender and quality benchmarks.
According to her, the Project is designed to promote gender and intersectionality, ensuring that vulnerable and marginalized groups identified under the project’s focus are fully accommodated.
“To this end, the project will support the development of Patient Feedback Tools to assess respectful and patient-centered care in PHCs, identify service gaps, and inform targeted training for health workers,” she noted.
Ehiahuruike further noted that the project will identify respected Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) and convene forums with PHC staff and pregnant women to strengthen trust and referral systems.
“In addition, the project will engage male gatekeepers and community leaders, sensitizing them and organizing sessions that encourage their support for women and girls in accessing maternal healthcare services.
The consultant also informed the Executive Secretary that the SPARK II Project will hold monthly community outreach sessions with groups such as women, girls, and persons with disabilities to increase PHC utilization.
“At the state level, SPARK Partners will drive accountability and evidence-based advocacy through baseline assessments including conducting assessments of selected PHCs and sharing validated findings with ASPHCDA and stakeholders for follow-up action.
“Media and awareness campaigns including leveraging radio programs, media briefings, and social awareness initiatives to stimulate demand for PHC services.
“Quarterly Feedback Platforms including facilitating review meetings that bring together patients, WDCs, and healthcare workers to discuss patient experience, analyze service delivery data, and agree on actionable steps to improve care standards.
“The project will also develop practical gender-sensitive toolkits for WDCs and Officers-in-Charge (OICs) to strengthen their role in ensuring inclusive and quality healthcare service delivery,” she added.
The SPARK II Project Manager for JDPC Nnewi, Onyekachi Ololo, emphasized the critical leadership role of ASPHCDA and partners in co-creating, institutionalizing, and sustaining reforms within the primary healthcare system.
He explained that this leadership is essential in driving capacity strengthening initiatives, particularly through hands-on training for Ward Development Committees (WDCs) and Officers-in-Charge (OICs) on the development of inclusive business plans.
He further noted the importance of designing and rolling out patient-centered care training for midwives and nurses working in rural PHCs, with a strong focus on empathy, gender, and cultural sensitivity, complemented by continuous coaching and direct feedback from women and girls.
Onyekachi also stressed the need to support WDCs and community groups to effectively monitor patient feedback and use such evidence for advocacy that will drive improved practices across PHCs.
He highlighted the urgency of facilitating the adoption and implementation of revised WDC composition guidelines in collaboration with Local Government Authorities, which will enable the reconstitution of WDCs in line with national minimum standards.
This, he said, is crucial for ensuring stronger women’s representation, participation, and leadership in PHC governance.
To further strengthen women’s voices, Onyekachi underscored the need for capacity-building workshops that promote women’s leadership within WDCs, while also advocating for the training and deployment of maternal health champions who would support pregnant women in accessing timely care at PHCs.
Onyekachi called on the Agency to adopt and mainstream gender-sensitive PHC business plans across focal facilities, with ASPHCDA providing oversight and technical support to guarantee consistency and sustainability.
He urged the Agency to facilitate staff training and retraining on patient-centered care with particular attention to maternal and child health, while also reconstituting WDCs in partnership with LGAs using the revised guidelines to promote stronger women’s participation in governance structures.
He further encouraged ASPHCDA to scale up trust-building mechanisms between PHCs, TBAs, and community leaders in order to reduce maternal health risks and eliminate delays in seeking care.
Finally, he emphasized the importance of continuous policy and operational backing from ASPHCDA to ensure that the gains of the SPARK II interventions are sustained well beyond the life cycle of the project.
Experiences from Community Representatives: WDC and COMEN members — Ideh Godwin Eze, Vitus Oraegbunam, and Ogoamaka Atuenyi — who participated in the visit, shared experiences from their Health Promotion Campaigns of the SPARK Project.
They reported that community members are showing increasing interest in PHC utilization. Specifically, Ogoamaka Atuenyi of Utuh testified that four pregnant women registered for antenatal care at their PHC following sensitization
Responding, Executive Secretary, ASPHCDA, Pharm. Chisom Uchem acknowledged that the work of the SPARK Team complements the Agency’s efforts to strengthen PHC service delivery, particularly in improving maternal and child health.
She welcomed the testimonies from COMEN and WDC representatives on the impact of state-supported free ANC and delivery programs, and commended the SPARK Team for serving as watchdogs to ensure that government interventions reach the intended beneficiaries.
The ES further noted that Anambra State emerged first in the PHC Challenge of 2024 in the South East and overall first nationally, attributing this achievement to the combined efforts of stakeholders, including SPARK Partners.
She encouraged the team to sustain their collaborative efforts to retain this record in the 2025 Challenge.
She also reaffirmed ASPHCDA’s commitment to welcoming reports from SPARK partners to ensure accountability of OICs at PHCs.
Promoting open data systems at PHCs to enhance transparency, community ownership, and improved service delivery.Working hand-in-hand with the SPARK II Project to scale up feedback mechanisms and institutionalize community-driven reforms.
