As part of preparatory activities for the rollout of the Longitudinal Study (LS) 2.0, Natview Foundation for Technology convened a follow-up stakeholder engagement meeting with relevant State-level actors to review security mapping and identify hard-to-reach health facilities across the State.
The engagement focused on ensuring that the implementation of Longitudinal Study 2.0 is informed by current security realities and operational constraints. LS 2.0 is designed to generate continuous, facility-level insights to support evidence-based decision-making, strengthen health system performance, and improve service delivery outcomes across the State. Given the evolving security landscape in some locations, the meeting sought to ensure that facility selection, supervision plans, and data collection approaches are context-sensitive, risk-informed, and aligned with State priorities.
During the session, participants reviewed the existing security classification and categorization of health facilities across the State. Key observations included the need to update facilities currently classified as security-prone, hard-to-reach, or with uncertain security status. Participants also noted that security conditions in some locations are fluid and require continuous monitoring rather than static classification. It was further acknowledged that security dynamics can vary significantly within LGAs, with certain wards and facility catchment areas more affected than others.
Discussions on hard-to-reach facilities extended beyond security considerations alone. Participants highlighted challenges related to poor road networks, seasonal accessibility constraints, and long distances between facilities and the situation room for data collection. Limited transportation options for data champions accessing facilities within the hard-to-reach category were also identified as a key operational concern.
Through a collaborative process, participants jointly validated a list of facilities considered hard-to-reach, while noting that accessibility may vary over time depending on security conditions and environmental factors.
The meeting concluded with strengthened alignment between the State stakeholders and the Natview Foundation team on security and accessibility considerations for LS 2.0. Participants reaffirmed their commitment to supporting the successful implementation of the study and emphasized the importance of adopting adaptive, context-driven approaches to navigate security and accessibility challenges.
As next steps, plans were outlined to engage Zonal teams to further validate hard-to-reach facilities and explore the use of Impact Bikes to improve access. The validated list of facilities will be shared with Zonal teams for the addition of facility addresses and clear directions, while a facility map will be developed with locations color-coded according to their assessed threat levels.
