The Civil Society in Malaria Control, Immunisation and Nutrition in Nigeria (ACOMIN) has lamented the poor state of primary healthcare centres (PHCs) in the country.

Development Diaries reports that about 80 percent of PHCs in Nigeria are non-functional, nearly five years after the federal government promised to refurbish 10,000 PHCs across the 774 local government areas (LGAs).

ACOMIN, at a press briefing in Abuja, said there is a need for an urgent collective effort to tackle the malaria scourge in the country.

Nigeria has one of the highest rates of malaria cases in the world.

Data from the World Health Organisation (WHO) shows that the country (31.3 percent), Democratic Republic of the Congo (12.6 percent), Tanzania (4.1 percent) and Niger (3.9 percent) accounted for just over half of all malaria deaths worldwide in 2021.

ACOMIN National Coordinator, Ayo Ipinmoye, noted that PHCs’ role in the fight against malaria cannot be overemphasised, given how poorly they are being managed and funded.

‘These community-based healthcare facilities are the first point of contact for individuals seeking healthcare assistance’, Ipinmoye said.

‘PHCs provide essential services including preventive care, diagnosis, treatment of common illnesses, maternal and child health services, family planning, chronic disease management, and health education.

‘Particularly in remote or underserved areas, PHCs play a critical role in providing access to quality healthcare and reducing the burden on secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities’.

Development Diaries calls on the President Bola Tinubu-led government to invest more in the country’s health sector by providing the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) with funds to meet their facility, medicine, and manpower needs.