MSF Concludes Cross River Health Project After Three Years of Free Medical Services

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, has concluded its healthcare intervention in Cross River State after three years of providing free medical services to residents of Akor and Old Ndibeji communities in Akamkpa Local Government Area, near the Nigeria–Cameroon border.
The project, which began in May 2022 in collaboration with the Cross River State Ministry of Health, supported two primary healthcare centres in communities where access to medical services had been severely limited. MSF officially handed over the facilities and donated medical supplies to the state Ministry of Health in September 2025.
During its three-year intervention, MSF provided lifesaving healthcare to thousands of residents. Achifone Felix, a beneficiary of the programme, described the organisation’s support as critical to his survival.
According to him, MSF provided him with free treatment and medication for hypertension after he retired to the community, noting that many residents might not have survived without the organisation’s assistance.
Over the course of the project, MSF teams conducted more than 73,000 outpatient consultations and admitted over 8,000 patients for observation before referring them to health facilities in Calabar for further treatment. The organisation also supported 2,123 deliveries, provided 3,887 antenatal consultations and 5,776 family planning sessions, while administering 9,303 vaccinations.
Malaria, which remains endemic in the area, accounted for nearly 30,000 of the cases treated during the intervention. Other illnesses managed by the medical teams included respiratory infections, injuries and typhoid fever.
In addition to providing direct medical services, MSF focused on training and capacity building for local health workers to ensure continuity of care after the project’s conclusion. A nurse with the Ministry of Health, Owen Helen, said the experience improved her professional skills significantly.
She explained that before joining the MSF-supported programme she had little practical experience in patient consultations, but after working with the organisation for three years, she acquired skills in patient management, minor procedures such as circumcision, and family planning services.
The facilities also offered basic emergency obstetric and newborn care. On average, MSF teams handled about 54 deliveries monthly and referred between 20 and 40 women with pregnancy-related complications to tertiary hospitals in Calabar.
However, referrals often involved difficult journeys due to poor road conditions, especially during the rainy season when travel could take between eight and 12 hours. In some cases, roads became completely impassable, delaying patient transfers.
Despite these challenges, MSF covered all costs associated with referrals, including transportation, medical treatment and feeding.
A resident of Old Ndibeji, Alhaji Abdulwahab Achigi, recounted how MSF staff saved his uncle’s life after he fell critically ill at night. According to him, the patient was stabilised and treated free of charge before being referred to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital for further care.
The project also adopted a community-based health approach, reaching 17 communities through house-to-house health promotion, referral services and follow-up care within the communities. The initiative helped improve health awareness and encouraged residents to seek medical care promptly.
MSF Project Coordinator, Meria Nadje, said the need for healthcare services in the communities was overwhelming when the project started in 2022, as residents often travelled several hours to access basic medical care.
She noted that the thousands of consultations, safe deliveries and treated illnesses recorded during the project demonstrated the significant impact the intervention had on the communities.
MSF has been operating in Nigeria since 1996 and currently provides free healthcare services in eight states across the country. The international humanitarian organisation operates in more than 75 countries worldwide, delivering medical assistance based on the principles of independence, neutrality and impartiality.