By Elvira Jordan
Civil society organisations implementing a Global Fund-supported health monitoring project in Rivers State have identified out-of-pocket medical expenses, transportation costs and other access barriers as major challenges limiting vulnerable communities’ access to HIV, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria services.
The organisations said the financial burden, particularly on poor households and families in rural communities, could discourage timely healthcare-seeking and undermine efforts to improve health outcomes.
The concerns were raised during a media roundtable in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, organised by the Civil Society in the Eradication of Tuberculosis in Nigeria (TB Network), on behalf of the ATM Network, under the Global Fund Grant Cycle Seven Integrated Community-Led Monitoring (CLM) Project.
The initiative is designed to strengthen community participation in healthcare delivery, identify gaps in health services and promote accountability in facilities providing HIV, TB and malaria interventions.
Speaking at the meeting, Rivers State Coordinator of the Civil Society for Malaria Elimination, Immunisation and Nutrition (ACOMIN), John Ihua Maduenyi, highlighted the financial challenges confronting families seeking treatment, particularly those affected by malaria.
He observed that although some health services may be officially provided free of charge, indirect expenses, including transportation, can still prevent families from accessing care.
Maduenyi stressed the need for systemic interventions to improve affordability, accessibility and awareness, especially among low-income households and vulnerable populations.
Also speaking at the meeting, State Programme Officer of the TB Network in Rivers State, Hope Pius said the project uses community-led monitoring to identify problems affecting healthcare delivery and bring them to the attention of relevant stakeholders.
He said the media remained a critical partner in amplifying community experiences and drawing attention to barriers preventing vulnerable populations from accessing essential health services.
He added that the project is being implemented in three local government areas of Rivers State: Port Harcourt City, Obio/Akpor and ONELGA?
Within the participating local government areas, the project monitors healthcare facilities quarterly to assess service delivery and document challenges experienced by patients and communities.
Pius noted that the exercise was intended to generate evidence that could help improve the quality, accessibility and responsiveness of healthcare services.
On his part, Panji Albert, Programme Officer at the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN), stressed the need for continuous training and retraining of government healthcare workers to ensure the sustainability of HIV, tuberculosis and malaria services beyond donor-funded interventions.
Albert noted that while health programmes may be structurally integrated into existing facilities, gaps in the practical skills and capacity of personnel continue to affect effective service delivery. He urged civil society organisations and programme implementers to share their expertise with government workers to improve their ability to attend to patients.
Participants at the roundtable emphasised the importance of sustained collaboration among civil society organisations, healthcare providers, government agencies and the media to ensure that community concerns translate into improvements in service delivery.
The organisers said the engagement would provide an opportunity to share evidence from the project, strengthen public awareness and encourage greater accountability in the delivery of essential health services across Rivers State.
