Report: Zamfara most difficult state to access primary healthcare in Nigeria

Zamfara has been ranked as the most difficult state in Nigeria to access primary healthcare services.

This was disclosed on Tuesday in an annual report released by ONE campaign, an advocacy initiative focused on addressing poverty and preventable diseases in Africa, in partnership with the National Advocates for Health, Nigeria Health Watch, and the Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC).

According to the report, the public healthcare facilities in all 36 states, including the federal capital territory (FCT) are deficient.

The report also noted that citizens usually have terrible experiences while seeking medical attention.

The report also ranked the federal capital territory (FCT), Anambra and Enugu as the top performing states in the aspect of primary healthcare service delivery.

“A new report released today by The ONE Campaign, in partnership with National Advocates for Health, Nigeria Health Watch, Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC), and other partners, reveals that health systems in 18 Nigerian states are weak, resulting in poor healthcare service delivery, especially in public facilities,” a statement by the group reads.

‘The public health facilities in all 36 states and the FCT are deficient, and the experiences of community members seeking health care at public facilities are consistently awful.

“The Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) was poorly implemented in 13 states. Zamfara is the most difficult state in Nigeria to access primary healthcare.

“The basic causes of Nigeria’s deteriorating health care system are the country’s weak governance structures and operational inefficiencies.”

According to the report, Nigerians experience difficulty in accessing medical facilities. despite the establishment of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF).

The Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) was established in 2014 by the national health act to address the gaps preventing proper utilisation of primary healthcare facilities across the country,

“Despite the provisions of the BHCPF, the report’s findings expose the precarious state of healthcare in Nigeria, where access to and utilisation of health services continues to be marred by systemic challenges across the states,” it added.

While commenting on the report, Ibrahim Oloriegbe, chairman of senate committee on health, said the country needs continuous surveillance of the healthcare system to ensure proper utilisation of funds for the sector.

“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 state houses,” he said.

“It is also important for citizens to join in this advocacy and call on their state governments to release appropriate funds and ensure adequate monitoring of the funds to improve public health facilities, especially the primary health centers. We must ensure medical supplies and the required human resources are available.”