In Maiduguri, Médecins du Monde improves access to healthcare for thousands of displaced persons
2026-01-08
With the support of the European Union Humanitarian Aid, Médecins du Monde is strengthening the delivery of health services in Dalaram Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Maiduguri, Jere Local Government Area, Borno State in Nigeria.
Located next to a camp for internally displaced persons, the centre is the only medical facility available to nearly 36,000 people in the area, most of them displaced. More than 200 patients come through its doors every day, making it a vital point of access to healthcare in a community heavily affected by insecurity and limited public services.
Médecins du Monde provides free curative consultations, essential medicines, services supporting survivors of gender-based violence and awareness activities, mental health and psychosocial support, antenatal and postnatal care, and family planning services to patients at the health facility. The centre is also supported with medical equipment, supplies, and solar panels, ensuring reliable electricity for essential needs such as lighting, ventilation and the refrigeration required to safely store medicines.
For Amina, having access to these services is not only reassuring, it is something she is deeply grateful for.
Amina* lives nearby and has been coming to Dalaram PHC for treatment for the past five years. Today, she is running a fever, so she has walked to the centre for a consultation. At first, she chose Dalaram simply because it was the closest facility to her home. Now, she says, it is the quality of the care and the way patients are received that makes her keep coming back. She also brings her children here, including her youngest, who was born in the facility.
Even if the services were not free, Amina insists she would still come, especially for her children, because “health is the most important thing.” The fact that treatment is free, however, allows her to save her limited income for other essentials. During her last visit a month ago, she attended a group awareness session on mental health, held while her daughter was being treated. She says she learned a great deal and believes such sessions are valuable because they help reduce the stigma surrounding mental health issues. For Amina, having access to these services is not only reassuring, it is something she is deeply grateful for.
Médecins du Monde is providing support to seven health facilities, including Dalaram PHC, in north-west and north-east Nigeria with the support of the European Union Humanitarian Aid, enabling more than 125,000 people to access safe and quality primary and secondary healthcare.
