Nigeria: A new assessment has revealed that 97 per cent of Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) across 16 states failed national staffing standards.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the findings are contained in the PHC Operational Capability Report produced by Orodata Science. Orodata Science is a nonprofit organisation promoting public health, fostering data-driven solutions, and addressing health disparities globally.
The report assessed 1,480 PHCs across 277 local government areas in Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. The assessment, conducted between October 2023 and June 2025, used the CheckMyPHC Digital Scorecard to evaluate staffing, infrastructure, equipment, electricity, water supply and accessibility. It found that only three per cent of the assessed facilities met the national minimum staffing requirement, with 11 of the 16 states having no PHC that met the minimum standard.
About 75 per cent of the assessed facilities were located in rural communities. The report also found that 40 per cent of the facilities had broken ceilings or leaking roofs, 38 per cent operated without electricity, and 39 per cent relied on unsafe water sources. Significant deficiencies were identified in maternal and newborn healthcare, with 75 per cent of facilities lacking essential neonatal resuscitation equipment.
The report highlighted that 66 per cent of the facilities lacked accessibility provisions for persons with disabilities and people with mobility challenges. According to the report, poor infrastructure, inadequate staffing, unreliable electricity and water supplies, limited equipment, and accessibility barriers often occurred within the same facilities, increasing risks for patients and placing additional pressure on available health workers.
It was noted that 51 per cent of surveyed community members rated services at their local PHCs as poor, with significant variations among states. Kano and Sokoto were identified as having serious shortages of safe water, adequate electricity, and essential newborn equipment. Gombe recorded an 80 per cent rate of PHCs without accessibility provisions.
Orodata emphasized that improving primary healthcare required coordinated interventions based on verified facility-level data. The organisation recommended states develop clear intervention plans, measurable targets, and incorporate community feedback into monitoring processes. Urgent repairs, provision of safe water, and improved electricity supply were also recommended.
The report urged the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) and state PHC agencies to address frontline health-worker shortages through recruitment, effective deployment, and retention. Ensuring PHCs providing delivery services have essential neonatal resuscitation equipment was also stressed.
The assessment involved physical facility visits, direct observation, interviews with health workers and community members, photographs, GPS coordinates, and facility records. The CheckMyPHC Digital Scorecard was developed with reference to NPHCDA minimum standards and relevant inclusion requirements.
The report sought not only to document deficiencies but also to provide facility-level evidence for implementation and resource allocation, supporting monitoring and evaluation of interventions across the assessed facilities. It stressed that investment decisions should be linked to verified needs, aiming for PHCs to become safer, better staffed, properly equipped, functional, and trusted by the communities they served.