By Najib Sani
In the quiet, rural community of Kafiromi in Bauchi State, healthcare access is limited, but one woman has been changing lives for over a decade.
Asabe, a Senior Community Health Officer with 17 years of experience and 12 years of unwavering service in Kafiromi had been rendering services to this community of 2,000+ people and surrounding villages. Asabe is more than a health worker but she is a lifeline in the area because she is helping in saving mothers and babies through her guidance.
Expectant mothers travel miles, even from Gamawa, a town with larger hospitals not for advanced equipment, but to get guidance and counselling from Asabe.
But in 2024, disaster struck. A devastating flood swept through Kafiromi, destroying the only health centre, medical equipment, and contaminating the water supply. The facility was shut down for over four months.
But Asabe refused to give up. With nothing but her skill, passion, and basic tools, she began visiting pregnant women in their homes, makeshift shelters, and camps.
She continued providing immunisations, antenatal and postnatal care, and even conducted safe deliveries in the most difficult conditions.
With birth kits provided by Rural Health Mission Nigeria (RHEMN), she ensured clean and hygienic deliveries, even outside of a clinical setting.
“It is not the equipment that keeps them coming, it is the empathy and care. My secret is simple: passion, empathy, and service to humanity”, Asabe shared.
Her message to fellow health workers is powerful: “Be caring. Be dedicated. Our communities need us the most when everything else is falling apart.”
Asabe’s courage reminds us that healthcare is not just about buildings or machines. It is about people who show up when it matters most.
Asabe and the community members expressed gratitude to the Rural Health Mission Nigeria (RHEMN) for making it possible for heroes like her to keep serving through their assistance.
