The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has completed the renovation and handover of 3,526 primary healthcare centres across Nigeria, while work is ongoing at another 908 facilities.

The development is part of the Federal Government’s efforts to improve access to basic healthcare services and strengthen the country’s primary healthcare system.

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.

Despite the progress, he acknowledged that significant challenges remained, noting that only 53 per cent of approximately 27,000 primary healthcare centres being monitored were functional at Level One or Level Two.

He added that the agency was prioritising essential amenities, including electricity, water and sanitation, to ensure that renovated facilities could provide reliable healthcare services.

He said the initiative was also designed to strengthen transparency and accountability in primary healthcare delivery.

78,000 Health Workers RetrainedOn manpower development, Aina disclosed that more than 78,000 frontline health workers had been retrained out of the 120,000 targeted under 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 underserved and remote communities.

Government Targets 17,600 Functional Centres

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

The programme focuses on upgrading infrastructure, improving staffing, providing essential medicines and equipment, and expanding services at the ward level.