At 20.9 per cent, the North-West has the least number of basic medical equipment in health facilities.

The South-West had 48.8 per cent, to record the highest rate of available medical equipment.

This information comes from the 2023 National Health Facility Survey (NHFS) recently released by the National Bureau of Statistics.

The survey was conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, with technical assistance from the World Bank. 

A health facility mapping and listing exercise was conducted to generate an up-to-date list of all health facilities in Nigeria, with 3,330 facilities randomly sampled across the 36 states and Abuja.

The report revealed that 68 per cent of secondary health facilities and 29.9 per cent of public primary health facilities have functional basic medical equipment.

Basic medical equipment, as defined in the survey, includes any weighing scale, thermometer, stethoscope, blood pressure apparatus, and examination light, which were considered to be available and functioning at the time of the survey.

The survey also assessed the availability of essential drugs, which is defined as the percentage of essential drugs available and not expired in health facilities at the time of the survey.

The findings showed that 50.6 per cent of essential drugs were available in SHFs, while 34.3 per cent were available in PHFs.

Regarding immunisation services, the survey indicated that various vaccines were available at public health facilities at the time of the survey.

Measles antigen was available in 51.9 per cent of facilities, pentavalent in 51 per cent, and oral polio in 52 per cent. Other vaccines available included BCG 51 per cent, Rotavirus 47.3 per cent, and pneumococcal 45.8 per cent.

Also, inactivated polio 48.6 per cent, human papillomavirus 37.7 per cent, tetanus toxoid/tetanus-diphtheria 49 per cent, yellow fever 50 per cent, and meningitis 48.1 per cent.

The 2023 NHFS evaluates the state of healthcare facilities in Nigeria, offering critical insights into their preparedness and capacity to deliver essential health services.

The survey’s objectives include providing information to help healthcare managers at various levels evaluate performance and identify weaknesses that need to be addressed to improve service delivery.

It also aims to assess the quality of care and the availability and readiness of secondary facilities to understand better their capacity to provide services.

(NAN)