‘Serious Risk’, Obi Raises Alarm as 97% of Primary Health Centres Fail to Meet Staffing Standards
The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has expressed concern over a recent report indicating that 97 percent of assessed primary healthcare centres across 16 states failed to meet national staffing standards.
The PHC Operational Capability Report, produced by Orodata Science and Civic Tech, disclosed that only three percent of the assessed facilities met the national staffing standards.
The report assessed 1,480 PHCs across 277 Local Government Areas in Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones and was conducted between October 2023 and June 2025, according to the Operations Lead at Orodata Science, Mr. John Eromosele.
Eromosele revealed that the assessment deployed the CheckMyPHC Digital Scorecard to evaluate staffing, infrastructure, equipment, electricity, water supply and accessibility.
Reacting to the development on Monday, Obi pointed out that the findings went beyond being a mere statistic, describing them as a serious risk to the country’s healthcare system.
“The recent report that 97% of assessed Primary Healthcare Centres across 16 states failed to meet the national staffing standard is not merely a statistic; it can be extrapolated nationwide, where about 80% of PHCs are not functioning. It reflects a serious risk,” he said.
Obi stated that health is a primary measure of development in any nation and forms the foundation of a strong healthcare system.
He argued that a country cannot build a healthy and productive population if its primary healthcare centres lack the necessary staff to care for the people.
“Behind every understaffed PHC is a pregnant woman who might not receive timely care, and a child who could die from a preventable illness. That is why Nigeria is currently classified among the most challenging and poorest places to be born and to live,” he remarked.
The former Anambra State governor stressed that healthcare should not be a privilege reserved for the wealthy, describing it as a basic responsibility of government.
Obi emphasised that progress should not be measured primarily by flyovers, new bus stops or airports that are rarely used.
Instead, he mentioned that progress should be measured by the number of lives saved, the number of operational health centres, the availability of qualified health workers, and the quality of care provided to ordinary Nigerians.
Obi asserted that Nigeria cannot build a new country while allowing its people to die from conditions that a functioning primary healthcare system should be able to prevent.
He added that the country’s priorities must be clear, including investing in its people, strengthening primary healthcare, recruiting and retaining essential health workers, and ensuring that every Nigerian, regardless of location or income, has access to quality and affordable healthcare.
