Healthcare Quality, Facilities Have Increased By 72%, Says Adewole

Kuni Tyessi in Abuja

The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, has announced that Nigeria’s quality of healthcare as well as facilities, have tremendously increased by 72 per cent in the last two years based on the Nigeria State Health Investment Project (NSHIP).

Similarly, there has been an increase in the number of beneficiaries over the project. With this, the target number of beneficiaries which was expected to be three million has doubled to an additional seven million‎.
The minister who announced this in Abuja during his keynote address at the presentation of the mid-term report of the Nigeria State Health Investment Project‎ (NSHIP), said Nigeria has shifted focus from an input-based approach to a result and outcome driven one.

He said Nigeria needs to redefine the models of existing PHC services, the NSHIP and other result-based approaches and suggest a way forward due to a rapidly growing population and slow economic growth.

He said: “The quality of healthcare score in facility has increased by 72 per cent in two years of programme implementation with theses improvements seen across participating health facilities‎. Similarly, there has been an increase in the number of beneficiaries over the project. As at mid year 2017, cumulative number of beneficiaries have surpassed the target of three million by an additional seven million lives initiative project. These improvements provide an inclination of the impact of NSHIP interventions.

“For Nigeria to achieve a Universal Health Coverage, a paradigm shift is required in the way PHC services are delivered. The most recent national health account study suggests that only four per cent of the population are covered by any form of risk protection mechanisms for health, leading to over 69 per cent out-of-pocket expenditure. This means millions of poor Nigerians die because they are not able to access care.

“Evidence of service delivery indicator survey in 2014, also indicates that many Nigeria’s PHC are in very poor state with poorly motivated staff, minimal equipment. And frequent out of stock of essential drugs and commodities. With over 29 per cent absenteeism of relevant human resources, productivity is also low and further worsening existing inefficiencies.

“Nigeria needs to redefine the models of existing PHC services, the NSHIP and other result-based approaches and suggest a way forward. With a rapidly growing population and slow economic growth, we are faced with hard choices which requires freedom in how resources are allocated across the sectors and most importantly, the health sector,” he added.