The Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Muyi Aina, has raised concerns over Nigeria’s sluggish progress in addressing maternal mortality, stressing the need for more urgent and coordinated action.
Speaking at the Nigeria Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Forum in Abuja, Aina highlighted the alarming reality that Nigeria still holds the highest maternal mortality rate globally, with 1,047 deaths per 100,000 live births recorded in 2020.
The forum, organized in collaboration with Options Consultancy Services, served as a platform to discuss the priorities of Nigeria’s health sector under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu and the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate.
Aina emphasized the need for more effective healthcare spending, pointing out that the challenge lies not in the availability of funds but in their poor allocation and utilization.
“While we have made strides, such as revitalizing over 8,000 Primary Healthcare Centers (PHCs) across the country and planning to double that number by 2027, there is still a significant gap in achieving our health goals,” Aina stated. He also noted a 15% increase in immunization rates and rising antenatal care visits, yet acknowledged that much more needs to be done.
Aina called for more strategic and coordinated approaches to healthcare investment, stating, “We are moving too slowly towards our goals. Effective spending and collaboration are crucial to bridging the gaps.”
He also underscored the importance of leveraging partnerships, particularly with civil society organizations (CSOs), to drive health sector renewal. Aina reiterated the government’s commitment to transparency, community engagement, and collaboration with stakeholders to share both progress and challenges.
“We are in a hurry for Nigerians to feel the impact of President Tinubu’s initiatives, but we must ensure that our actions are well-coordinated and effective,” he added. “The path ahead is challenging, but with smart spending and coordinated action, we can accelerate progress in reducing maternal mortality and improving healthcare outcomes.”
Ufuoma Festus, Regional Director at Options Consultancy Services, emphasized the need to align policy with ground-level action to achieve UHC in Nigeria. He stressed that Federal policies must be effectively implemented at the sub-national level to truly benefit vulnerable populations.
Festus urged stakeholders to move from policy discussions to concrete actions, noting the vital role of government interventions in reaching marginalized communities and the importance of accountability mechanisms in driving real outcomes. He highlighted examples from other African countries, such as Kenya and Ghana, where multi-stakeholder platforms have successfully reduced maternal and child mortality.
Drawing attention to the successful collaboration between civil society and government in Lagos, which addressed essential commodity stockouts, Festus encouraged stakeholders to adopt similar approaches nationwide.
Gafar Alawode, Managing Partner at DCI Consult and co-convener of the UHC Forum, echoed the call for action, stressing that Nigeria must move beyond discussions to implement strategies that yield tangible improvements in the healthcare system. He highlighted the urgency of conducting thorough policy analysis to guide decision-making, particularly in light of the new financial independence of Local Government Areas (LGAs) and its impact on primary healthcare.
Alawode also advocated for the NPHCDA to involve CSOs in its engagements with stakeholders such as the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) to ensure a more aligned and efficient approach to healthcare delivery, anchored on transparency and community involvement.
He noted that the introduction of a new dashboard to monitor the performance of Primary Healthcare Centers would significantly contribute to achieving this goal. Alawode expressed optimism about the emerging consensus on how the NPHCDA will collaborate with stakeholders to streamline efforts across the healthcare sector, avoiding duplication and enhancing efficiency.
In her presentation, Lucia Laboso, Project Director of E4A MamaYe, discussed the importance of raising accountability in PHC delivery. She highlighted the key lessons from the State Lead Accountability Mechanisms (SLAMs), which aim to enhance the capacities of SLAMs to collate, analyze, and use evidence-based data to drive continuous improvements in health sector performance.
