• Zamfara worst performing state in health care

• FCT, Enugu, Anambra best performing

A new report by the ONE Campaign has ranked 18 states across the country poorly on health systems indicators.

It said the states are unable to provide adequate primary health care (PHC) services for their people.

The report, which was done in partnership with National Advocates for Health, the Nigeria Health Watch, Public & Private Development Centre (PPDC), and other partners, ranked Zamfara as the worst performing state in PHC delivery.

This has resulted in the state’s poor healthcare service delivery, especially in public facilities.

In the report, titled: The State of Primary Healthcare Service Delivery in Nigeria (2019-2021), the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Enugu, Anambra, Ekiti and Delta were ranked best performing states, with the FCT topping the pack with 68 per cent.

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Others are: Enugu (66 per cent), Anambra (65 per cent), Ekiti (63 per cent) and Delta (61 per cent).

The 18 states that are ranked poorly for their inability to provide adequate primary health care (PHC) services are: Kaduna, Imo, Plateau, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Edo, Cross River, Gombe, Rivers, Jigawa, Kogi, Yobe, Borno, Katsina, Kebbi, Taraba, Sokoto and Zamfara.

The report, which was released at a s’akeholders’ event organised by ONE Campaign in Abuja, provides an in-depth and systemic review of the implementation of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) and compliance of the states with the National Health Act and National Health Policy.

Unveiling the report, Chairman of Senate Committee on Health, Ibrahim Oloriegbe, said there was a need for continuous oversight to ensure that the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) works for Nigerians.

He said: “We have recorded successes at the Federal level because of the independence and the interdependence between the executive and the legislative arms of government and because the National Assembly has been able to perform its oversight functions. This must be replicated across the different states’ Houses of Assembly.”

ONE Campaign’s Nigeria Director Stanley Achonu said: “Weak governance continues to pose a major obstacle to improved healthcare delivery. It hampers efficiency and effectiveness and results in weak infrastructure, poor user experiences, and poor health outcomes. The burden of strengthening the healthcare systems and services lies heavily on governance and leadership.

“At all levels, the government needs to take responsibility as a building block of the health system, especially in system design, policy guidance, oversight, regulation, accountability, coalition building, monitoring, and enforcement.”