Nigeria: MSF hands over Cross River project after three years of medical care
MSF provided free healthcare to thousands of people in Akor and Old Ndibeji before handing operations to the Ministry of Health.
In September 2025, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) concluded our Cross River project after three years of collaboration with the state Ministry of Health (MoH). We provided free, comprehensive healthcare to thousands of people living in Akor and Old Ndibeji, near the Nigerian-Cameroonian border. Launched in May 2022, the project supported two general healthcare centres in communities where access to medical services had been extremely limited. After donating medical supplies, MSF handed over operations to the MoH.
For many community members like Achifone Felix, MSF’s presence was the difference between life and death. “MSF has helped me survive,” says Felix. “I am a patient with high blood pressure and when I came here during my retirement, MSF attended to me and provided free medication. Without their support, many of us would not be alive today.”
A lifeline for remote communities
In three years, MSF became a lifeline for remote communities. Working alongside the incentivized MoH staff, our teams:
- conducted more than 73,000 outpatient consultations
- admitted over 8,000 patients for observation before referring them for further treatment in Calabar
- supported 2,123 deliveries.
- provided 3,887 prenatal consultations
- conducted 5,776 reproductive health sessions
- administered 9,303 vaccinations
Malaria, endemic in the region, was the leading cause of illness among the patients MSF cared for, with nearly 30,000 cases treated. People also received care for other common conditions included injuries, respiratory infections and typhoid fever.
Training and capacity building
Beyond patient care, MSF also provided training for local staff as an investment in the sustainability of healthcare services in this part of Cross River.
“When I finished school, I had no experience in patient consultation,” says Owen Helen, a MoH nurse working with MSF. “But after joining MSF and spending three years with them, I gained the skills to manage patients confidently. Now I know how to consult, perform procedures like circumcision and provide reproductive health services — all of which I learned while working with MSF. Today, I can carry out these tasks independently and effectively.”
“When we started in 2022, the need was overwhelming. People had to travel for hours to get basic care. Today, looking back at the thousands of consultations, deliveries and lives saved, it’s clear this project made a real difference.”
Meria Nadje, MSF project coordinator
Emergency care and long journeys
The facilities offered basic emergency obstetric and newborn care, ensuring essential and safe care for pregnant people, mothers and newborns during childbirth. On average, MSF teams managed 54 deliveries each month and referred between 20 and 40 people with pregnancy complications to specialized hospitals in Calabar, the state capital. During the rainy season, this journey took roughly eight to ten – sometimes up to 12 – hours to travel. Other times, the road would be washed out completely, delaying transport further. Referrals were mostly for pediatric cases, complicated sexual and reproductive health issues, severe malaria, injuries and surgical complications. MSF covered all costs for referred patients, including medical bills, transport and food.
“My uncle fell seriously ill in the middle of the night and we rushed him to the MSF facility here in Old Ndibeji,” says Alhaji Abdulwahab Achigi, a resident of Old Ndibeji. “The nurses worked tirelessly to stabilize him and by morning he was already better. He was admitted free of charge and the medications were also free. Later, they arranged to transfer (refer) him to the teaching hospital in Calabar.”
Community-based approach
The project adopted a community health model, reaching 17 communities through house-to-house health promotion, a referral system to higher-level care and follow-up care in the community. This approach helped bridge gaps in health awareness and encouraged timely care-seeking.
Challenges and achievements
Operating in these remote communities posed significant challenges, from long distances to seasonal disruptions to the roads, hindering medical transfers. Despite these obstacles, MSF ensured free, quality care and support for thousands of people who otherwise had little access to health services.
“When we started in 2022, the need was overwhelming,” says Meria Nadje, MSF project coordinator. “People had to travel for hours to get basic care. Today, looking back at the thousands of consultations, deliveries and lives saved, it’s clear this project made a real difference.”
MSF provides medical care to people in need of assistance in Nigeria and more than 70 other countries. Our work is guided by medical ethics and the principles of impartiality, independence and neutrality. Almost all of MSF’s funding comes from private donors, allowing us to maintain our independence. MSF has worked continuously in Nigeria since 1996 and currently provides free healthcare in eight states across the country.
