By Chioma Iruke
Over 900 primary healthcare centers across 32 states in Nigeria have halted operations in 2021, denying citizens access to quality healthcare services despite the raging cholera epidemic that has affected over 88,000 and killed more than 3,200 people.
This is as the Government also revealed that it currently has 43 facilities under construction.
The information was contained in a document obtained from the Health Facilities Registry of the Federal Ministry of Health.
Out of the 32 states, war-ravaged Borno State had the highest number of closed Public Health Centers (PHCs), accounting for 220 out of the total 918. This is followed by Adamawa State with 170 closed PHCs.
Other states with closed PHCs include Abia 1; Akwa-Ibom 2; Bauchi 2; Benue 16; Cross Rivers 8; Delta 9; Ebonyi 1; Edo 7; Ekiti 5; Enugu 4; Gombe 5; Imo 2; Jigawa 2; Kaduna 45, Kano 10; Katsina 42; Kebbi 35; Kogi 23; Kwara 23; Nasarawa 22; Niger 39; Ogun 19; Osun 35; Oyo 30; Ondo 1; Plateau 12; Sokoto 5; Taraba 49; Yobe 67 and Zamfara State 2.
The states with facilities under construction are Abia 1; Adamawa 2; Akwa-Ibom 1; Bauchi 3; Borno 8; Delta 6; Ekiti 1; Enugu 1; Gombe 1; Imo 1; Jigawa 3, Kaduna 1; Katsina 2; Kebbi 1; Kogi 1; Lagos 1; Niger 1; Osun 3; Oyo 1; Plateau 1 and Taraba 2.
The Federal Government had in 2017 inaugurated a revitalisation programme for primary health care facilities across the country, under which it committed to refurbishing 10,000 PHCs across the country with at least one centre in each of Nigeria’s 109 senatorial districts.
However, four years down the line, reports say that the government is yet to implement its promise to revitalise the PHCs, with the existing ones in deplorable conditions.
A recent analysis thus, revealed that out of the 918 PHCs that halted operations, 81 of them have been closed permanently with 837 closed temporarily, subject to re-opening.
