How transforming a health post revived trust in local healthcare
by Malaria Consortium staff
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For years, the Pooro health post went unused. With a single health assistant overseeing building maintenance, general upkeep of the facility, which served as the closest point of care for rural populations, particularly in farming communities, in the town of Pooro, in the Surulere local government area (LGA) of Oyo state in Nigeria, became a challenge. Over time, the building’s deterioration discouraged residents from seeking care, where it had previously served close to 4,000 community members. “As a leader, it pained me,” said Chief David Oyebode, the Olupooro of Pooro community. “But people had accepted it as normal.”
In Oyo state, Malaria Consortium has been delivering seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) — which entails administering antimalarial drugs to children at 28-day intervals during the peak malaria transmission season — across six high-burden LGAs in partnership with the State Malaria Elimination Programme and local health authorities.
When the Malaria Consortium team arrived in Pooro state, “they expressed concern about its condition and I felt the same,” says Chief Oyebode. “That visit became the turning point that inspired us to take action.” Caregivers were scared that the dilapidated health post might collapse on them, stopping them from visiting the facility. Instead, many residents resorted to self-medication, traditional healers or travelling long distances to access care elsewhere, often leading to delayed treatment and worsening health outcomes, particularly among vulnerable groups such as children and pregnant women.
Today, the local health post, once in disrepair, is now a hub of community ownership and transformation, in large part thanks to the SMC programme in the region, which spurred a wave of community action.
“By cycle 5, Pooro health post was a different place. It was no longer a shame to bring children here."
During the Malaria Consortium team’s visit for an SMC site assessment, they highlighted the importance of safe, clean and accessible facilities for storing medicines and receiving families. “We realised the health post belonged to us,” said Chief Oyebode. “If we wanted better health, we had to act.”
The people of Pooro quickly convened community meetings. Funds were raised, young people volunteered their time and labour and local artisans donated renovation materials. “We promised the SMC team action,” Chief Oyebode explained. “We organised ourselves, raised funding and repaired the building.”
They patched the walls, coated the floors, replaced the windows and cleaned the whole compound. By the last SMC cycle in 2025, the change was undeniable.
“By cycle 5, Pooro health post was a different place,” Chief Oyebode said. “It was no longer a shame to bring children here. Mothers came willingly, and our health worker regained her confidence” — confidence she had lost because caregivers weren't bringing their children for care, due to the state of the health facility.
Now, the health post is a fully functional facility capable of providing not only malaria care, but also other essential services. It symbolises renewed trust in the local health services and has created a stronger sense of community.
“This change has restored dignity,” the Olupooro said. “Now our children can receive malaria treatment and other services in a clean, safe place. Beyond SMC, we can use the health post for immunisations and basic health needs.”
The story of Pooro demonstrates how SMC not only saves lives but also strengthens systems and inspires communities to take charge of their health. For the people of Pooro, transformation of the health post is a reminder of their power to act. We showed ourselves that we can solve problems, Chief Oyebode said. “If we can revive our health post, we can do more.”