Delivering free primary healthcare in Nigeria with microclinics

June was a huge month. We officially crossed the 3,000-patient mark! In just this month, we treated 542 people with completely free, high-quality primary care. Since launching in November 2024, we’ve now reached 3,266 lives, and the need keeps growing.

98% of our patients had no insurance, and the average household income was only ₦29,114 (~$19/month), showing the real gap we’re helping to close.

June Highlights:

• Patients came from 8 different communities, including one who traveled 23 km from Ajah (about an hour away). Word about the clinic is clearly spreading.

• Our sustainability program kept going strong. We recycled 3 lbs of plastic waste.

The clinic is delivering high-impact, respectful care to some of Nigeria’s most underserved communities.

I’ve attached the June report.

Renovations have officially started at our Surulere clinic!

We’re excited to share that construction is now underway. Over the past week, we worked with local builders to survey the site and begin renovations.

Through a careful bidding process, we chose the most cost-effective team from the Ikate Surulere area. In line with our mission, we’ve prioritized hiring local workers and sourcing materials locally. This helps improve healthcare access while also supporting the Surulere economy.

Here’s what’s been done so far:

1. The basement is being cleared and renovated into a consultation room and observation ward. Builders have sealed off old doors and added window openings.

2. Foundations and brickwork have begun for the new area, which will include the reception, waiting room, and likely the nursing station/pharmacy.

3. Bricks for a toilet and shower have been laid, meeting state standards.

4. A clinic committee made up of local residents and professionals has been formed. They’ve been involved since the start of renovations, offering valuable community insights. Their input is shaping a space that truly serves the neighborhood and builds local ownership.

Next up: Roofing

A local carpenter measured the space last Friday and will begin sourcing materials. Roofing is set to start on Monday

The micro-clinic in Oworoshoki provided free primary healthcare to 538 patients in May and reached an amazing milestone of 2,700+ patients treated since launch!

The youngest patient was a 1-year-old baby girl and our oldest was an 86-year-old grandma.

Malaria, hypertension, and respiratory infections remained the most common illnesses treated.

Nearly 98% of patients were uninsured.

You can read the full report here.

I am really excited to share the latest impact metrics from the clinic, Oworoshoki. In the month of April, the clinic treated almost 400 patients at no cost—95 % of whom were uninsured and earning an average of $20/month in a ~ five-person household.

One of those patients was Marvelous, a 17-year-old girl from Oworoshoki. During her post-visit survey, Marvelous said to the care team at the clinic:

I've been able to get free medication, which is something I was unable to afford before.

We observed a moderate overperformance to our initial monthly target of 200-300 patients, with 357 patients served in April! This month, we continue to see a strong shift towards repeat patients (42% repeat), anchoring the idea that Safe City is now becoming a true medical home for many patients.

The micro-clinic provided free primary healthcare to 357 patients in April, and also celebrated a major milestone—the 2000th patient!

The youngest patient was a 1-year-old baby boy, and the most common illnesses treated were malaria, respiratory infections, and unmanaged hypertension.

You can read the full report here.

Another month exceeding impact for the target with almost 500 patients helped at no cost in March!

Super excited to share the latest impact metrics from the Oworoshoki clinic.

In March, the clinic treated almost 500 patients at no cost, 100% of whom were uninsured and earning an average of $11/month in a ~ four-person household.

Similar to last month, the clinic continues exceeding its impact target! This month, we see a strong shift towards more repeat patients (24% repeat patients vs 5% last month). This shift signifies the clinic's gradual transition to becoming a true medical home for thousands of children, mothers, and fathers in Oworoshoki, who, before this clinic, had no other option for affordable primary health care in their community.

Hear from one of the patients here:

In March, the micro-clinic we funded in Nigeria treated 487 patients, including a one—year—old baby girl and an 88-year-old grandmother.

Plus, patients recycled 7 lbs of plastic to help sustain operations.

You can read the full impact report here.

We've just published the February report from the clinic in Oworoshoki. You can read the report here.

Also, here's a video of one of the best beneficiaries. It's in Yoruba, but English subtitles have been added.

The medical staff at the clinic completed their 3-hour electronic health records (EHR) training with Ajirmed in the last week of January. Here’s lead Nurse Adegbola (Nurse B), Nurse Chioma, Nursing assistant and front desk admin Blessing, with their instructor from Ajirmed.

Ajirmed’s system is very user-friendly, and the clinic’s medical team are even more excited to adopt it!

The clinic started a “soft migration” to the EHR this month (February) and plans to migrate to Ajirmed’s EHR system by March 1st fully!

Bonus pic: One of the clinic’s little patients who showed up for treatment with his mom during the training :)

In January, the micro-clinic provided free primary healthcare to 312 patients, the youngest of whom was a one-year-old girl.

You can read the report here: January report

Hi all! Excited to introduce you to David, one of our younger patients at the clinic.

David, a 5-year-old boy from Oworoshoki, presented with malaria symptoms, including a severely high fever in December. Thankfully, he was able to access healthcare through the clinic early enough - a crucial action necessary to prevent deaths from malaria, especially in young children 5 years of age and younger. David was treated promptly at the clinic by Nurse Chioma and is doing amazing now!

Some other exciting updates:

Nurse Chioma, our second registered nurse at the clinic, joined us in early December. She works alongside Nurse B. at the clinic. Nurse Chioma is highly qualified, caring, and friendly, with core experiences leading health equity initiatives and care delivery in primary health care and sexual and reproductive health. As a reminder, the clinic is manned daily by two highly qualified registered nurses, our lead Nurse B and Nurse Chioma, and occasionally supported by our network of volunteer physicians!

We secured an in-person training date with Ajirmed to train clinic staff on operating the Ajirmed electronic health record system. Once this training is complete, we will migrate to an EHR system as a fully tech-driven facility - aiding data collection, improved workflow, care delivery, and clinic & inventory management.

The first clinic committee kickoff was a success! As a reminder, the clinic is overseen by a carefully selected group of diverse community members who meet monthly to discuss the clinic's progress. This ensures that the clinic remains community-centred, with the voices of those in the Oworoshoki community at the forefront of the clinic’s ethos. The committee will meet on an ongoing basis at the start of each month to discuss the clinic operations from the previous month.

Thank you!

I've got the first report from the clinic for the launch month of December:

You can read the entire report here: Full report

Our investment in building a free healthcare clinic in Lagos is already saving lives!

Before the clinic's official opening, a medical outreach event was held where patients could pre-register and receive treatment during registration.

At the pre-opening, the nurses treated 115 people, a higher number than expected ... there's obviously a deep need for free primary healthcare.

Here's the data that was collected on the day:

70% of patients reported a monthly income of N40,000 - N45,000 ($27 - $30 per month).

The youngest beneficiaries were two 2-year-old children who were treated for malaria and common cold, respectively, and the oldest was an 80-year-old woman who was treated for unmanaged hypertension.

Malaria is a disease that is especially deadly for children when treated late; catching and preventing it early with basic care is very important, and thankfully, we did for many, including 17 children under the age of 10.

Most patients (~39%) were diagnosed and treated for malaria. The second most common diagnosis after malaria was high blood pressure (hypertension) (~15%). This is expected as malaria, and hypertension is among the leading causes of death in the country.

Two patients were found to be at risk of fatal/near-death complications from unmanaged hypertension and were immediately treated and referred to the nearest tertiary institution. Of note, a mother from the community had extremely high blood pressure and was at significant risk of a stroke if her condition wasn't revealed during the outreach. Our practitioners gave her emergency treatment, and she will be following up with a specialist at a tertiary hospital.

The rest of the patients presented with varying illnesses, including unmanaged arthritis, diarrhoea, upper respiratory tract infections, the common cold, ulcers, skin infections, and allergies. ⁠

Four patients had no symptoms of illness and came by for a regular medical checkup, an act they noted would have been a luxury if they hadn't had this opportunity.

69% of patients self-identified as female, and 31% as male.

Today, we went out into the community alongside young volunteers from Oworoshoki. In true Nigerian style, we walked the streets with a music band, sharing fliers and announcing the arrival of a free health clinic. The young volunteers were thrilled to spread the news to their friends and families.