Extending primary health care to remote communities – The encouraging maternal health ecosystem in Odenigbo is made possible by an organisation committed to extending primary healthcare services to remote areas in Ebonyi State, with a particular focus on safe motherhood, maternal and newborn health.
Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team (AMURT) is a private international voluntary organisation founded in India. AMURT came to Nigeria in 2010 and started a pioneer project in Ebonyi because of the state’s high maternal mortality rates. Director Dala Tul Biernsen said their aim is to reduce maternal and child mortality to the barest minimum. The project is run in collaboration with the Ebonyi State government.
In Ebonyi, AMURT is currently in five LGAs; Abakaliki, Ikwo, Ohaukwu, Onicha and Ebonyi. They currently partner with nine primary health facilities in the five LGAs in Ebonyi State. Each facility caters to a project area that encompasses about 20 villages. “Our role here is basically to decrease mortality and morbidity to the barest minimum,” Ikechukwu Obinna, a medical doctor with AMURT, said.