TheCable

Niger has been ranked the least prepared state for health emergencies amongst all states in the country.

According to a Health Preparedness Index published by SBM Intelligence, Cross River is the most prepared state for health emergencies.

The index was based on each state’s doctor-to-population ratio, infant mortality rates and human development indices.

The bottom-ranked states were Kebbi, Kano, Gombe, Jigawa and Niger while Cross River, Lagos, Anambra, Kwara and Ondo were the top-ranked states.

SBM Intelligence said it also “assessed how much each state spends on health relative to its budget to its relative to its budget size and calculated both the proportion of the budget spent on health as well as per capita expenditure on health.

“States were given a maximum of five points based on the average household size of each state, where a lower household size attracted a higher score.”

In Nigeria, Kogi and Cross Rivers are the only states without any confirmed case of the coronavirus.

As of Tuesday, May 19, Nigeria had confirmed 6,175 cases of the coronavirus in 34 states and the federal capital territory.