Nigeria Suffers Deficit of Over 122,696 Essential Medical Staff in Primary Care Sector, Says Government

The Federal Government has announced that it will require an estimated N4.55 billion over a period of three years to recruit the necessary 122,696 health workers to fill vacant positions in Primary Health Care facilities across 26 states nationwide.

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This estimate was disclosed by Zaiyanatu Umar, the Human Resource for Health and Project Management Lead at the Sector-Wide Approach Coordination Office, during the 15th Expanded Ministerial Oversight Committee meeting on national healthcare implementation, which took place on Friday in Abuja.

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According to Umar, the estimate is based on an analysis of baseline data submitted by 26 verified states that self-reported staffing levels against Primary Health Care Minimum Staffing Standards under the SWAp recruitment assessment exercise.

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The baseline data received from SWAp was used to push forth on the HOPE-GOV 5.2 Disbursement-Linked Indicator, which focuses on ensuring quality healthcare workforce and availability across different levels, Umar explained.

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The World Bank-supported HOPE-GOV Programme rewards states for improving governance, financial management, and service delivery across Primary Health Care and basic education systems nationwide, with a particular focus on recruiting and deploying essential Primary Health Care workers to underserved communities.

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Under Disbursement-Linked Indicator 5.2, participating states aim to strengthen equitable access to quality healthcare services across Nigeria by recruiting, mapping, and deploying Primary Health Care workers to areas of need.

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Assessments have shown that 220,755 Primary Health Care positions are required across participating states, but only 98,059 are currently occupied, leaving 122,696 vacancies that need to be filled urgently to improve healthcare delivery nationwide.

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Umar noted that participating states have an average of 7.5 Primary Health Care workers per 10,000 population, while 55.6 per cent of required staffing positions remain vacant across surveyed facilities.

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The South East region has been identified as having the most severe staffing shortages, with a 73 per cent workforce gap and only 1.9 Primary Health Care workers per 10,000 population across assessed facilities.

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The North West region follows with a 70.9 per cent workforce gap and 5.8 workers per 10,000 population, while the South West has a 59.3 per cent staffing deficit.

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The North Central region has a moderate workforce gap of 49.5 per cent, with eight Primary Health Care workers available for every 10,000 population across participating states during the assessment.

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Umar also reported that the South South region has a 46.8 per cent staffing gap, while the North East has a 33.9 per cent deficit, highlighting persistent shortages across Nigeria’s healthcare system.

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Umar noted that South East facilities are particularly understaffed, unlike the North where state and LGA payrolls add staff, and that the staffing gap calculations excluded 13 states.

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The Performance Management Task Team is finalising a Human Resource for Health scorecard to strengthen accountability and performance, Umar added.

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Dr Emuren Doubra, the National Emergency Medical Treatment Committee Coordinator, reported that N2.41 billion has been disbursed to states and federal tertiary health facilities for emergency treatment interventions since 2023.

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According to Doubra, the intervention has benefited over 130,000 patients, and the National Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System has disbursed N1.49 billion to tertiary health facilities between January 2023 and May 2026.

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Doubra outlined the committee’s third-quarter priorities, which include expanding emergency medical operations from 32 states to all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, as well as increasing emergency response coverage across underserved communities.

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The committee also plans to increase Rapid Emergency Services and Medical Ambulance Teams coverage from 139 Local Government Areas to 172 Local Government Areas before the end of the year, Doubra said.

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Dr Ibrahim Tajudeen, the Executive Director of the Country Coordinating Mechanism, announced that Nigeria has submitted its Global Fund Grant Cycle Eight funding request for review under ongoing health financing reforms.

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Tajudeen reported that the Global Fund has allocated 791.6 million dollars for Grant Cycle Eight, compared to 933.1 million dollars under the current Grant Cycle Seven funding arrangement for Nigeria’s health programmes.

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The funding reduction has informed reforms aimed at improving efficiency, reducing duplication, and strengthening integration across HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria programmes, while enhancing government ownership and coordination, Tajudeen explained.

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Nigeria has reduced the number of principal grant recipients from seven to five to strengthen coordination, increase government ownership, and improve accountability in programme implementation across health interventions, Tajudeen said.

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The grant prioritises alignment with the Sector-Wide Approach, health insurance expansion, stronger supply chains, local pharmaceutical manufacturing, and broader health systems strengthening to improve service delivery sustainably, Tajudeen added.

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Nigeria has earmarked 42.8 million dollars from disease-specific allocations to strengthen health systems over the next three years through integrated healthcare investments and improved service delivery, Tajudeen reported.

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Tajudeen noted that Nigeria has adopted integrated approaches covering laboratory services, commodity distribution, disease surveillance, community engagement, and health financing to strengthen sustainability and improve long-term healthcare outcomes across the country.

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The Basic Health Care Provision Fund remains Nigeria’s flagship financing mechanism supporting expanded access to quality Primary Health Care and advancing Universal Health Coverage nationwide.

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The Ministerial Oversight Committee is the highest governing and policy-making body responsible for managing, supervising, and implementing the Basic Health Care Provision Fund across Nigeria in line with its statutory responsibilities.