NPHCDA renovates 3,526 PHCs, targets more functional centres

FILE: The Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Muyi Aina.

The National Primary Health Care Development Agency has completed the renovation, commissioning and handover of 3,526 primary healthcare facilities across Nigeria, with work ongoing at another 908 centres as part of efforts to improve access to basic healthcare services.

The Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the NPHCDA, Dr Muyi Aina, disclosed this during a quarterly media briefing organised in collaboration with the National Health Insurance Authority on Thursday.

Aina said the agency had either completed or was nearing completion of the refurbishment and revitalisation of 4,434 primary healthcare facilities across states and almost every local government area in the country.

He, however, acknowledged that significant work remained, noting that only 53 per cent of approximately 27,000 primary healthcare centres being actively monitored were functional at Level 1 or Level 2.

“Our target is to have Level 2 facilities in every ward, alongside an appropriate complement of approximately 8,900 Level 1 facilities across the country,” he said.

The NPHCDA chief said the number of Level 2 primary healthcare centres had increased by more than 59 per cent compared with March 2024, when the agency began tracking progress.

He said the agency was adopting an equity-based approach to revitalisation, taking into account communities’ existing access to healthcare, the availability of alternative service providers and the distance residents had to travel to obtain treatment.

Aina said the agency was also prioritising basic amenities, including electricity, water and sanitation, to ensure that renovated facilities could deliver essential services reliably.

“For all Level 2 facilities, we are also ensuring that reliable electricity is available. Solarisation is therefore a critical component of the revitalisation programme,” he said.

He added that the facilities were expected to have reliable water supplies and sanitation facilities, with some equipped with solar-powered boreholes to supplement public water supplies.

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According to him, the agency was also promoting the use of a platform that enables users to identify healthcare facilities closest to their locations and check the services available, while enhancing transparency and accountability in primary healthcare delivery.

On human resources, Aina said the agency had retrained more than 78,000 frontline health workers out of the 120,000 targeted by President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

He added that the agency was beginning the retraining of approximately 23,000 community-based health workers to complement facility-based personnel and extend healthcare services to remote communities.

“We must therefore ensure that people in these communities can access healthcare services promptly, including emergency care that could save their lives,” he said.

Aina explained that the agency was establishing a structured community-based health worker programme to reach people who might not be able to access facility-based services quickly.

The revitalisation programme is part of the Federal Government’s Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, which seeks to improve access to affordable, quality healthcare and strengthen the country’s primary healthcare system.

The NPHCDA’s strategy includes upgrading infrastructure, improving staffing, providing essential medicines and equipment, and expanding services at the ward level.

The Basic Health Care Provision Fund, established under the National Health Act 2014, is another financing mechanism supporting access to essential healthcare, particularly for poor and vulnerable Nigerians. Its objectives include achieving 17,600 fully functional primary healthcare facilities, with at least one in every political ward, by 2027.

However, the scale of the challenge remains significant. An investigation published by *The PUNCH* in August 2026, based on NPHCDA data, found that at least 6,516 primary healthcare centres remained non-functional despite years of government investment. The report cited staff shortages, insecurity, poor funding and weak maintenance among the challenges.

The latest figures presented by Aina highlight both the progress recorded in facility renovation and the continuing challenge of ensuring that infrastructure improvements translate into reliable healthcare services for Nigerians.