A recent field investigation by Orodata Science has revealed significant discrepancies between the facilities listed as revitalised and their actual conditions. The investigation, which involved physical visits, geo-coordinated photographs, interviews with health workers and community members, and assessments of construction, water supply, electricity, staffing, equipment, services, accessibility and operational readiness, was conducted across six states: Abia, Benue, Cross River, Kano, Osun and Taraba.
The findings showed that nearly one-third of the facilities assessed had either not been started, had stalled or been abandoned, or had not been put to use, despite being listed as revitalised. Of the 290 facilities, 153 were recorded as having completed work, while 41 were ongoing, 17 had not been started, 21 were stalled, and five had been completed but remained locked or had not been put into use. This meant that 91 facilities were either not started, stalled, abandoned or completed but not put into use.
The investigation also found that basic services remained lacking in many of the facilities classified as revitalised. Only 22 of the 290 facilities have functional ambulances. Orodata Science’s Research and Analytics Team Lead, Hannah Naiyeju, disclosed this during a town hall meeting in Lagos, while presenting findings from the organisation’s MyPHC project.
The MyPHC project evolved from an earlier initiative, Check MyPHC, through which Orodata Science visited more than 1,480 primary healthcare centres across 277 local government areas. The project has also involved more than 60 trained data collectors and 38 journalist partners, resulting in 84 data-driven investigative reports. The organisation’s platform had attracted more than 90,000 users, while more than 1,500 digital reports had been downloaded.
The research and data analyst added that even among facilities where work had reportedly been completed, the quality of the work remained a concern. Of the 153 facilities where work was reported completed, 73 had visible defects, including structural problems, poor finishes and problems with standard installations. Naiyeju said only 29 per cent of the facilities assessed met the benchmark used to assess whether a PHC qualified as revitalised.
Naiyeju called for transparency around PHC revitalisation, including the publication of contracts and payment records and physical verification of facilities. She stressed that the organisation’s concern was to establish whether funds released for PHC revitalisation had reached the facilities for which they were intended. The investigation also examined the sources of funding for the facilities and found that the State Ministries of Health funded the highest number, followed by the Basic Health Care Provision Fund, the Federal Ministry of Health and other government agencies.
Key points
- Only 22 of 290 revitalised primary healthcare centres have functional ambulances.
- Nearly one-third of the facilities assessed had either not been started, had stalled or been abandoned, or had not been put to use.
- The investigation revealed significant discrepancies between the facilities listed as revitalised and their actual conditions.
