Lagos and Ogun States have emerged as the top-ranked states in the latest Health Preparedness Index (HPI) across Nigeria with northern states ranking at the bottom of the index.
The SBM Intelligence report as seen by Nairametrics shows Lagos State led the index with a score of 25.09 points, followed by Ogun State with 23.23 points.
Lagos’s performance is attributed to its substantial health budget allocations and relatively advanced healthcare infrastructure compared to other states.
Ekiti State made a remarkable improvement 23.04 points, jumping from 13th place in 2021 to 3rd place in 2023, while Bayelsa and Ondo rounded out the top five, scoring 22.99 and 22.86 points, respectively moving from 11th to 4th and 2nd to 5th places.
Northern states struggle
On the other hand, the northern states continue to struggle with significant healthcare challenges. Zamfara, Gombe, Sokoto, Kebbi, and Yobe were the worst performers, with scores ranging between 11.83 and 13.04 points.
The report attributes this to limited budget allocations, poor infrastructure, high infant mortality rates, and low immunisation coverage. “Healthcare delivery in these regions is severely hindered by insecurity and inadequate resources,” the report noted, emphasizing that the healthcare workforce in these areas is overstretched and under-resourced.
Increased health budgets fail to improve preparedness
Not a single state in Nigeria scored above 30 points on the index, earning all states an ‘F’ grade. This highlights the critical gap between budgetary increases and actual improvements in healthcare infrastructure, capacity, and readiness to handle emergencies including a pandemic.
While health budgets have improved in recent years, 30 out of 36 states raised their health budgets between 2021 and 2023, the health budget allocation across states in 2023 stood at 9.29%, showing a significant improvement from 4.65% in 2021.
“Cross River leads with an impressive 22.1% allocation, followed by Kaduna (15.8%) and Bauchi (15.0%). In stark contrast, Bayelsa (3.4%), Ekiti (2.5%) and Ebonyi (0.5%) have allocated the smallest percentages of their budgets to healthcare”.
SBM Intelligence warns that these increases have not translated into measurable improvements in preparedness. However,even in states where health budgets have increased, the impact has been insufficient in addressing core issues, such as inadequate healthcare infrastructure and healthcare workers.
“Despite some improvements in health budget allocations across various states, the overall health landscape in Nigeria remains concerning. Many states continue to grapple with deepening health challenges exacerbated by inadequate infrastructural improvements. This underscores the urgent need for sustained, strategic investments in healthcare infrastructure, human resources and service delivery across all states to enhance Nigeria’s overall health preparedness.”
Doctor-to-population
The doctor-to-population ratio as one of the most pressing concerns affecting healthcare delivery in Nigeria. This key metric, which holds the highest weight of 30 points in the index, underscores the significant disparities in health system readiness across the country.
The report reveals that many states fall below the recommended standards for healthcare delivery, resulting in an overstretched and under-resourced healthcare workforce emphasizing the urgent need for improvements.
What this means
The findings heighlights the importance of not only increasing health budgets but also ensuring that the funds are used effectively to strengthen healthcare systems. Without addressing core issues such as healthcare infrastructure, the healthcare workforce, and service delivery, Nigeria’s ability to handle future health emergencies remains compromised.
The 2024 Health Preparedness Index by SBM Intelligence serves as a call to action for Nigerian states to rethink their healthcare strategies. While some progress has been made, the report concludes that much more needs to be done to ensure the country is ready for future health challenges.
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