In a renewed push to enhance Nigeria’s primary healthcare delivery system, the federal government has announced ambitious targets and significant achievements in revitalising Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) across the country, as part of a broader effort to ensure equitable access to quality care at the grassroots.
Speaking at the National Primary Health Care Development Agency’s (NPHCDA) first quarterly press briefing for 2025 in Abuja, on Tuesday, the agency’s Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Muyi Aina, revealed that over 20 million Nigerians now access PHC services every quarter—a marked increase attributed to ongoing infrastructure upgrades and expanded service delivery.
“We have jointly revitalised 901 PHCs in the last year and are currently upgrading over 2,700 more,” Dr. Aina said. “By the end of 2025, these upgrades will be completed, bringing us closer to our goal of ensuring at least one fully functional PHC in every ward across the country.”
Dr. Aina announced that the NPHCDA aims to increase the number of PHCs supported under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) from 8,406 to 17,600 over the next four years.
“We are not merely expanding the number of PHCs per ward; we are working with states to allocate additional facilities based on local needs—factors such as disease burden, population density, and geographic challenges,” he explained.
The agency also reported significant strides in maternal and child health. In 2024 alone, six million pregnant women received folic acid and micronutrient supplements, while over six million children were fully vaccinated against preventable diseases.
“PHC utilisation is clearly on the rise. Antenatal care attendance has doubled and 43 million children received Vitamin A supplements,” Dr. Aina added.
As part of a broader transparency initiative, a live dashboard—phc.nphcda.gov.ng—was launched to allow the public to monitor PHC upgrade progress in real-time. “Nigerians can now see the evidence themselves. Anybody can click and check the state of the PHCs,” Dr. Aina said.
In 2024, N22 billion was disbursed to states through the NPHCDA gateway, with total BHCPF allocations reaching N51 billion. The fund, established in 2014, is financed by at least one percent of the federal Consolidated Revenue Fund and donor contributions.
To further improve service delivery, the agency increased quarterly allocations to PHCs from N300,000 to N800,000 for high-volume centres and N600,000 for low-volume ones. These funds are complemented by capitation payments under the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).
Dr. Aina also announced the development of a PHC financial management app—piloted in Rivers, Ekiti, Gombe, and Kaduna States—to ensure efficient fund management and curb delays.
On workforce development, he said the government is committed to deploying a minimum of four skilled birth attendants to every PHC. He praised First Lady Oluremi Tinubu’s support through her Renewed Hope Initiative, which has donated 60,000 professional kits to frontline healthcare workers.
In a November 2024 statement, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Pate, confirmed that N45 billion had been directly disbursed to PHCs through the BHCPF. Last month, an additional N32.88 billion was approved for further healthcare strengthening.
Dr. Aina concluded, “We are working to transform PHCs into dependable pillars of Nigeria’s health system. Our vision is clear: stronger facilities, improved services, better health outcomes for all.”
