The federal government has said it is committed to a nationwide revitalisation of Primary Health Care Centres (PHCs) to ensure that every Nigerian, regardless of location or income, can access quality basic healthcare.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Salako, on Thursday said PHCs will become the cornerstone of universal health coverage as the government moves to rebuild the sector through improved infrastructure, expanded workforce, and integrated service delivery.
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Mr Salako stated this at the Day two of the 2025 Joint Annual Review of the Health Sector in Abuja.
PHCs improving but ‘still far from optimal’
Citing the latest ministry’s assessments (2023) Mr Salako said Nigeria’s over 30,000 PHCs still remain optimally functional, noting that the country’s Doctor-to-Population ratio is at 1:5,000 which is against the WHO recommendation of 1:600.
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Also, Nurse-to-Population Ratio is as low as 1:2,000 which is against the WHO recommendation of 1:300.
“This is further compounded by the inequities in the distribution of health workers, where 75 per cent are concentrated in urban areas, serving 45 per cent of the population,” he said.
He noted that substantial progress has been made through the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), which is working with its state counterparts, the World Bank and other partners to strengthen governance, upgrade facilities and expand service coverage.
“State-level PHC boards have been strengthened in 31 states, and PHC governance structures in more than 400 LGAs have been fully established and functional,” he said.
He also noted improvement in the quality of PHCs.
“PHCs are being upgraded with physical renovations, basic equipment supplies and additional deployments, which have seen the quality score of our PHCs improve from 42 per cent to 67 per cent baseline to endline assessment,” the minister said.
Access to essential care for mothers and children
Mr Salako highlighted progress in Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (RMNCH) services delivered at PHC level.
He said data from the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) show a gradual but steady improvement in reproductive and preventive services.
According to him, skilled birth attendance has increased to 53 per cent, up from 43 per cent in 2018; full immunisation coverage has risen to 39 per cent from 31 per cent; and neonatal mortality remains at 41 deaths per 1,000 live births.
He also said there has been a reduction in Maternal, Neonatal and Childhood mortality and an estimated 215,000 maternal and child deaths averted.
Despite these gains, he stressed that the PHC system must be strengthened further, given Nigeria’s disproportionate share of global childhood and maternal deaths.
“Nigeria still accounts for approximately 14 per cent of global maternal deaths and nine per cent of under-five deaths, though we represent only 2.6 per cent of the world’s population,” he said.
Plans to scale-up of PHC services
The minister announced new commitments aimed at expanding PHC services nationwide, including workforce deployment, improved facility readiness and stronger referral systems.
He noted that the government will continue to scale up the capacity of the PHCs to provide basic and essential services.
“As we enforce compliance with minimum standards of care, we will deploy the different cadres of health workers needed to ensure service delivery fidelity and consistency,” he said.
The minister also linked the PHC revitalisation agenda to broader efforts to expand the national health insurance scheme.
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“We are determined to expand insurance coverage by enforcing mandatory subscription, scaling up the Vulnerable Group inclusion, and expanding the benefit package to cover catastrophic health conditions, Non-Communicable Diseases, mental health and emergency services,” he said.
Commitment to community-level health
Mr Salako urged all government levels along with development partners, to renew their shared commitment to PHC strengthening.
“The resilient system we seek is one where health workers are motivated, adequately remunerated, and equipped to deliver care.”
“Where health facilities have power, water, medicines and equipment, data drives decision-making at all levels, communities are active participants in their own health and Nigeria takes a leadership position in health innovation and self-reliance.”
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