Inadequate staffing, uneven distribution of health workers and low motivation are threats to achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC), report has indicated.
The report, released by Development Governance International (DGI) Consult on Thursday in Abuja, highlights the threats.
“Nigeria’s infant mortality rate stands at 69 deaths per 1,000 live births, far exceeding the Sub-Saharan African average of 49 deaths.
“Only 50 per cent of births in the country are attended by skilled health professionals, a critical gap that contributes to high maternal and child mortality,” the report said.
DGI Consult’s Managing Partner, Dr Garfa Alawode, emphasised that “without a well-structured and motivated health workforce, achieving quality healthcare for all Nigerians remained a distant dream”.
Alawode warned that the shortage of frontline healthcare workers, particularly in rural areas, was a ticking time bomb.
The report outlined government efforts to address these challenges, including the Primary Health Care Under One Roof policy which aims to streamline healthcare workforce management at the state level.
“Other initiatives, such as the Midwives Service Scheme and Community Health Influencers, Promoters, and Services, have been deployed to expand healthcare access in underserved regions,” the report said.
It noted that findings from a Human Resources for Health situation analysis conducted across 10 states, including Lagos, Kaduna and Borno, revealed that many health facilities remained critically understaffed.
It also emphasised that policies designed to ensure the equitable distribution of health workers had yet to be fully implemented.
It appealed to government to fast-track the implementation of the 10-year Primary Health Care Strategic Plan and improve working conditions to curb the mass migration of Nigerian health workers
NAN
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