Health Advocates Set to Showcase the Toughest States to Get Primary Healthcare Services in Nigeria

The ONE Campaign, in partnership with National Advocates for Health, Nigeria Health Watch, and the Public & Private Development Centre (PPDC), has announced plans to showcase the State of Primary Healthcare Service Delivery in Nigeria through a comprehensive report of the status of implementation of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund across states in Nigeria. The report aimed at stimulating interest from critical stakeholders to improve the overall primary healthcare delivery in Nigeria.

The report, “The State of Primary Healthcare Service Delivery in Nigeria” will be released in Abuja on the 19th of July, 2022 in the presence of critical policymakers and a broad spectrum of health advocates and campaigners. The report provides a comprehensive assessment of the implementation of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF), ranks health system performance across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory using a standard group of health systems indicators, and recommends pathways to increase utilisation of the BHCPF at the state level.

The ONE Campaign’s Executive Director for Africa, Edwin Ikhuoria, said this about the report’s strategic importance in improving Nigeria’s primary healthcare: “Primary healthcare is the cornerstone of health systems resilience. Strengthening the primary healthcare system is essential to preparing for future pandemics, as we have just observed with Covid-19. It has been eight years since the National Health Act was passed and four years since the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) was activated in Nigeria to address the shortage of primary healthcare services, yet the BHCPF’s utilization and implementation remain below expectations. This exacerbates Nigeria’s vulnerability, and unless it is addressed, the country will remain open to future shocks of unprecedented magnitude.

Stanley Achonu, Country Director for Nigeria at the ONE Campaign, remarked: “We expect that the report’s release on the 19th of July, will ignite action amongst stakeholders and impact the needed change and increase access to primary healthcare services across Nigeria. In our opinion, the conclusions of this study will spur more action to improve health care in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Despite the difficulties, it is not impossible for states to improve their health outcomes. Nigerians’ access to and use of health care will be greatly improved with a firm commitment and swift action from all relevant parties.”

According to Vivianne Ihekweazu, Managing Director of Nigeria Health Watch, “Nigeria Health Watch has been working with ONE and other partners to support this important assessment of States Primary Healthcare provision and we are excited about putting this report in the public domain to serve as essential evidence for advocacy.”

On her part, Akubuo Onumonu Nonye, Program Manager at Public & Private Development Centre, commented that fixing Nigeria’s healthcare system today is critical, as access to foreign medical care is useless without a stable state of health in Nigeria.

ONE remains committed to its vision and continues to partner with critical stakeholders to actualise a world without extreme poverty and preventable disease, where people can fulfill their full potential and actively participate in the decision-making that affects them.