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• NBS puts estimate at 63 per 1,000 live births
By Isaac Anumihe, Abuja
The Statistician-General of the Federation and Chief Executive Officer of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Prince Adeyemi Adeniran, has lamented that despite various reforms and investments by government and development partners to improve the quality of healthcare delivery and outcomes, infant mortality rate is still at 63 per 1000 live births.
Speaking at the launch of the National Health Facility Survey Report 2023 in Abuja, yesterday, he said Nigeria, like any other developing country, faces challenges in its healthcare delivery system with issues such as insufficient funding for healthcare facilities, outdated infrastructure and a shortage of skilled personnel.
As a result, Adeniran said many Nigerians continued to struggle with accessing quality healthcare within their immediate communities, particularly in the rural areas.
Citing the National Health and Demographic Survey (NDHS), NBS noted a severe shortage of essential medicines (35 per cent) across all medical facilities nationwide.
He said: “These persistent issues undermine our ability to provide equitable healthcare to all Nigerians, particularly in underserved and remote areas.
“The migration of healthcare professionals is another critical issue that has impeded the functioning of the healthcare delivery system. Many Nigerian doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers seek opportunities abroad for better salaries, improved working conditions, and career advancement. Common destinations include the United States, the United Kingdom, and other developed nations. This trend has exacerbated the shortage of skilled healthcare workers in Nigeria which has put a further strain on our ability to meet the growing demand for healthcare services.”
The National Health Facility Survey Report, according to him, plays an essential role in guiding efforts to address the challenges facing Nigeria’s healthcare system.
“The data provided in this report offers a comprehensive and insightful analysis of the current state of health facilities across the country. It serves as a vital resource for policymakers, health administrators, and other stakeholders, offering evidence-based recommendations for informed decision-making. By utilizing this information, we can implement targeted interventions to address the most urgent issues in healthcare delivery, particularly at the primary healthcare level, where the need for improvement is most pressing,” he said
Adeniran further said that recent experiences have highlighted that the path to effective healthcare reform requires active engagement and collaboration among all stakeholders—healthcare professionals, policymakers, and partners.
In his recommendation, building strong, sustained partnerships is critical for identifying system inefficiencies, addressing gaps in service delivery, and ensuring that reforms are both practical and sustainable.
“By fostering a more inclusive dialogue that is underpinned by robust statistics among those directly involved in healthcare provision and those influencing policy and funding decisions, we can develop more effective solutions to the complex challenges facing our healthcare system in Nigeria. This report being launched today contains adequate statistical information that will support such dialogue and much more.”
The Coordinating Minister of Health, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate said that the findings will help to guide investments and through the findings, the government would provide a better healthcare.
“By using this data strategically, we can target interventions that will improve healthcare infrastructure, human resources, service availability, and the overall quality of care across our healthcare facilities.
The findings will help to guide investment priorities and ensure that our efforts are focused on the areas where they are most needed. Through this, we will be able to provide better healthcare services for every Nigerian, no matter where they live or their socio-economic status,” he explained.
