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By Doris Obinna
Primary Health Care (PHC) centres in Lagos State administer 92 per cent of all childhood vaccines in the state, despite accounting for only 32 per cent of patients accessing public healthcare services, a development that highlights the pivotal role of PHCs in preventive healthcare and child survival.
The Lagos State Primary Health Care Board (LSPHCB) disclosed the figures during a Media Roundtable Dialogue on Evidence-Based Health Reporting and Public Discourse organised by the International Society of Media in Public Health (ISMPH) in partnership with EngenderHealth in Lagos.
Head, Monitoring and Evaluation Unit, LSPHCB, Dr. Abioye Amodu, said more than 4,000 healthcare workers across Lagos PHCs currently provide immunisation services to over three million children, making the facilities the backbone of the state’s vaccination programme.
“Those 4,000 workers in Lagos PHCs that are looking after over three million children are doing 92 per cent of the vaccination in the state,” she said.
Amodu explained that although PHCs cater to a smaller proportion of patients seeking public healthcare services, they remain the frontline of maternal, newborn and child healthcare, delivering critical preventive interventions that have significantly improved health outcomes across the state.
Maternal, child health indicators show steady improvement
The board also announced significant progress in key maternal and newborn healthcare indicators, attributing the gains to sustained government investment, continuous training of healthcare workers and stronger community engagement.
Amodu said: “Eearly initiation of breastfeeding within one hour of birth has risen to 96 per cent, while skilled birth attendance and the administration of uterotonic drugs immediately after delivery have each reached 98 per cent. The proper use of partographs for monitoring labour has improved to 79 per cent, while family planning uptake has increased by 68 per cent.
“The state has also recorded improvements in newborn care through increased use of chlorhexidine for umbilical cord care, a life-saving intervention aimed at reducing neonatal infections and improving infant survival. Regular monthly and quarterly assessments of health facilities using Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) scorecards and Primary Healthcare Facility Assessment Tools (PHC-FAT) have shown consistent improvements in service delivery across PHCs between 2023 and 2025.”
Despite these achievements, she expressed concern over the persistent trend of late antenatal registration among pregnant women: “One of the issues the media can help us with is that mothers don’t come early to register for pregnancy. Most times, they come in after 20 weeks and there are so many complications that can arise from that.”
She also identified manpower shortages, weak laboratory services and inadequate ambulance availability in some primary healthcare centres as major challenges requiring urgent intervention.
PHC services expanded
Director, Health Planning, Research and Statistics, LSPHCB, Dr Temitope Balogun-Alo, reaffirmed the board’s commitment to expanding access to quality healthcare at the community level.
She disclosed that 81 of the state’s 342 primary healthcare centres now provide 24-hour services, ensuring that every local government area has at least one round-the-clock PHC.
According to her, the state has continued to upgrade PHC infrastructure while investing heavily in continuous professional development and attitudinal training for healthcare workers.
“A lot of healthcare services are now available across the PHCs in Lagos, with 81 out of the existing 342 primary healthcare centres offering 24-hour services,” she said.
Balogun-Alo urged residents to utilise healthcare services available within their communities, noting that many people still overlook PHCs despite improvements in infrastructure and service quality.
On health financing, Head, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA), Mrs Adetoro Tayo, said the agency had intensified public enlightenment on the state’s mandatory social health insurance scheme.
She revealed that 56 health journalists were trained in January 2026 to improve reporting on health insurance and public health programmes, while another 30 journalists are expected to undergo similar training in the coming months.
“The successful implementation of health programmes requires not only robust policies and systems, but also effective communication that enables citizens to understand, embrace and participate in these initiatives,” she said.
Tayo added that the agency had introduced the Ilera Eko Spotlight platform and strengthened its digital communication channels to improve public access to health information and increase enrolment in the state’s health insurance scheme.
She encouraged Lagos residents to subscribe to health insurance to reduce the financial burden of rising healthcare costs.
Media urged to promote evidence-based health reporting
Programme Director, ISMPH, Solomon Dogo, described the media as a powerful driver of public discourse, policy advocacy and accountability in the health sector.
He observed that while large volumes of health data are generated by government agencies and development partners, much of the information does not effectively reach the public.
According to him, the roundtable was designed to strengthen journalists’ understanding of health data interpretation, promote responsible reporting and deepen collaboration between the media and health institutions.
“Achieving these goals requires prompt review, responsive decisions and immediate action plans to communicate health evidence accurately and responsibly,” he said.
Dogo added that the initiative seeks to equip journalists with the skills required to translate complex health statistics into impactful reports capable of driving policy reforms and improving accountability.
He stressed that stronger collaboration among government agencies, development partners and the media would enhance public trust, improve health communication and accelerate progress in primary healthcare delivery across Lagos State.
The event also featured goodwill messages from the Lagos State Unified Media Health Coalition, the Society for Family Health and other stakeholders, who emphasised the need for sustained partnerships to improve health outcomes through evidence-based journalism and informed public discourse.
