Visits to Primary Health Centres surge to 170m as Nigeria deepens health reforms – Report
Utilisation Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) services in Nigeria surged to 170.8 million visits in 2025, up from 15.1 million in 2024.
This reflects the growing impact of ongoing health sector reforms, the 2025 State of Health of the Nation Report has revealed.
The report was made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Abuja.
It linked the surge to reforms under the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII), which is being implemented through a Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp) coordinated by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
Commenting in the report’s foreword, Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, said the report demonstrated Federal Government’s commitment to transparency and compliance with the National Health Act.
He noted that the Act mandated annual reporting on the state of health of Nigerians and the performance of the national health system.
“The 2025 State of Health of the Nation Report further depicts our determination to continue to comply with the provisions of the National Health Act, which mandates the ministry to produce annual reports on the state of health of Nigerians and overall national health system performance,” he said.
Pate said the 2025 edition built on the previous year’s report and reflected deliberations from the Joint Annual Health Report Conference held in November 2025.
According to him, the report highlights achievements across several key areas, including improvements in maternal health, client perceptions of health services, and capacity for cancer diagnostics and treatment.
“The report offers a panoramic view of the country’s health sector response by examining data from states and the Federal Capital Territory to assess performance in areas such as health financing, insurance coverage, public health initiatives, and other key outcomes,” he said.
Pate said that the report was developed through extensive consultations with stakeholders across the health sector, including ministries, departments and agencies, Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, partners, private sector actors, and civil society organisations.
The minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening access to healthcare services.
He said that ongoing initiatives included support for local drug manufacturing and removal of import duties and tariffs on essential medicines and medical consumables to improve affordability.
He also highlighted efforts to expand access to healthcare services through the Basic Health Care Provision Fund, urging communities to take advantage of government-supported health services.
He acknowledged the contributions of development partners, civil society organisations and the private sector in supporting health sector reforms and monitoring performance.
According to him, annual health sector reports will remain an important accountability tool to guide policymakers in improving healthcare delivery for Nigerians.
The report also showed that PHC utilisation rose to 170.8 million visits in 2025 and was driven by reforms aimed at revitalising primary healthcare services across the country.
Through reforms under BHCPF, 1,965 PHC facilities nationwide achieved Level 2 functionality, enabling them to provide round-the-clock services and safer childbirth care.
Maternal health outcomes also improved, with skilled birth attendance increasing to 86.3 per cent, while facility-based maternal deaths reduced from 904 to 460.
Under the National Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care programme, more than 20,000 women received life-saving services, while 242 health facilities were empanelled to provide specialised obstetric care.
Emergency systems supported 26,431 obstetric emergencies through the State Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System, as well as 34,331 women and newborns through the Rural Emergency Services for Maternal and Newborn Transport initiative.
The report also highlighted improvements in immunisation coverage, with 2.12 million children receiving the Penta-3 vaccine, although it noted that only 20 per cent of children got fully immunised, while 30 per cent had zero dose.
Nigeria also began rollout of malaria vaccine in Bayelsa and Kebbi states, achieving a milestone in malaria prevention.
The report said Nigeria made significant progress in strengthening health system performance in 2025, particularly in PHC revitalisation, workforce expansion, maternal and child healthcare services, and health governance.
However, it noted that inequities, financing gaps, and emerging health threats had continued to challenge the health system, underscoring the need for sustained reforms and stronger domestic financing to achieve Universal Health Coverage.
