By Paul Ejime
After its commissioning on 23rd November 2023 by its chief benefactor, General TY Danjuma, the *Goodwill Medical Centre (GMC), Enugu,* is transforming lives in its host poor and under-served communities.
The Centre has just completed an iron metal bridge across a river to link at least three urban slums to essential services in the Enugu East Local Government Area of Enugu State, eastern Nigeria.
The multi-million Naira *Avah River Bridge,* a wholly private initiative, will be opened during an official ceremony on Tuesday, 8th April 2025.
For decades, Umuchigbo, the GMC host community and the adjoining Ifoh community, Ugboezechi, Ugbo Laz and Ugbo Paul slum settlements had endured restricted access to healthcare and other essential services due to the Avah River, which constituted a major barrier to transportation in the area.
The not-for-profit and self-sustaining GMC opened its doors to the public on 1st February 2024, and consistent with its mission statement, the Centre has continued to undertake high-impact initiatives to help transform the lives of the poor in the surrounding urban slums.
Until the construction of the bridge, crossing the Avah river, a short distance between the GMC and the communities, was a nightmare to residents, who complained desperately about risking their lives and the high cost of transportation using the longer alternative routes.
Many residents who could not afford the high transportation costs were forced to wade through the river on perilous journeys to eke out a living.
Some residents have drowned during the process of crossing the river, and a father narrated the tragic deaths of two children within 10 days because his family could not afford the cost of transporting them to a medical facility in time.
The avoidable tragedies and the communities’ clarion call for help, moved the GMC Management to approach friends and public-spirited individuals to raise funds to construct the Avah River bridge for pedestrians, motorbikes and (Keke) tricycle users.
As they anxiously await the formal opening of the bridge, residents of the communities are expressing their heartfelt relief and celebrating in advance.
Apart from improving general access and easing the means of transportation for the residents, the bridge case will also reduce fatalities and case complications due to avoidable delays.
Also, in collaboration with the TY Danjuma Foundation (TYDF), GMC Management has completed a water harvesting and purification project by utilising water from the Avah River.
According to the Centre’s first Impact Assessment Report, the access barrier before the construction of the bridge had driven some women in the communities to rely on traditional birth attendants (TBAs), leading to maternal and infant deaths.
The GMC has trained and empowered 21 TBAs, and in collaboration with the Enugu State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (ES-PHCDA), carried out a geo-spatial mapping project of all TBAs across five nearby communities.
Recognising their importance to primary healthcare, the training and retraining of TBAs are programmed three times a year to enhance their skills and knowledge and ensure early referral of complex maternal and newborn cases to the Centre.
Data collection and training have already started as pivotal steps towards reducing maternal mortality and improving delivery outcomes. The GMC has also reported a rise in deliveries, including several sets of triplets.
Furthermore, the GMC runs eye health clinics by ophthalmologists and optometrists on Tuesdays and Thursdays every week, while cataract surgeries are performed three times a month at the Centre. After 20 initial cataract surgeries sponsored by the TYDF, the GMC Cataract Surgery Unit is successfully running its eye health programme, contributing to restoring sight and improving the quality of life for many in the community.
Paediatricians also visit the Centre two to three times a week to provide essential healthcare services, ensuring that children in the surrounding communities receive timely and appropriate medical attention, thereby reducing avoidable child morbidity and mortality.
To advance Universal Health Coverage (UHC), the GMC has registered and covered the costs for some community members under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). In February 2025, GMC signed an MoU with the Enugu East Local Government Authority to significantly increase the number of health insurance beneficiaries.
By working hand-in-hand with local groups, residents and addressing their needs, the GMC demonstrates resilience, vision and unwavering commitment to saving lives and inspiring community buy-in and collective ownership of the Centre’s programmes.
The brainchild of Prof. Mrs Uche Amazigo, a public health specialist and former director of the World Health Organization (WHO) River Blindness Control Programme, the GMC is contributing to revolutionising healthcare delivery and other essential services to rural communities.
This model is timely in the prevailing global economic difficulties, with many governments struggling to share scarce financial resources among competing needs.
The GMC’s approach is consistent with its philosophy that individual/private initiatives can complement government efforts in transforming the lives of poor, under-served communities.
This will leapfrog progress and development, as a collective responsibility requiring a strong public-private partnership for sustainability.
Paul Ejime is a Media and Communications Specialist and Global Affairs Analyst.
