Nigeria requires 4.55 billion naira to recruit 122,696 primary healthcare workers

This information was disclosed by Zaiyanatu Umar, Human Resource for Health and Project Management Lead at the Sector-Wide Approach Coordination Office, during the 15th Expanded Ministerial Oversight Committee meeting. The estimate is based on an analysis of baseline data from 26 verified states, which reported staffing levels against Primary Health Care Minimum Staffing Standards under the SWAp recruitment assessment. Assessments showed that out of 220,755 required Primary Health Care positions, only 98,059 are occupied, leaving 122,696 vacancies.

Participating states average 7.5 Primary Health Care workers per 10,000 population, with 55.6 percent of required staffing positions vacant. The South East has the most severe shortage with a 73 percent workforce gap, followed by the North West with 70.9 percent, and the South West with a 59.3 percent deficit. The North Central recorded a 49.5 percent gap, the South South 46.8 percent, and the North East 33.9 percent.

The staffing gap calculations excluded 13 states. Meanwhile, Dr. Emuren Doubra, National Emergency Medical Treatment Committee Coordinator, stated that 2.41 billion naira has been disbursed for emergency treatment interventions since 2023, benefiting over 130,000 patients. Dr. Ibrahim Tajudeen, Executive Director of the Country Coordinating Mech