Failure of Primary Healthcare: New Nigeria not possible with citizens dying – Peter Obi

Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, warned on Monday that constructing a new Nigeria is impossible while citizens continue to die due to a weak Primary Healthcare system. He urged the Nigerian government to allocate more funds to the primary healthcare sector across the country. This statement came in response to a report that highlighted the poor performance of Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) in Nigeria.

According to the report, 97 percent of these centres did not meet the country's staffing requirements in 16 states.

Obi expressed concern over the data shared on X, stating that it poses a significant danger to Nigerians. He pointed out that the failure of PHCs is one of the reasons Nigeria is regarded as one of the most difficult and poorest places to be born and to live in. He wrote, "The recent report showing that 97% of assessed Primary Healthcare Centres in 16 states didn’t meet the national staffing standard, isn’t just a number.

It can be applied to the country as a whole, where about 80% of PHCs are not working properly." Obi emphasized that this data reflects a serious risk and highlighted the crucial role of health as the most important indicator of a country's progress and the foundation of its healthcare system.

He further explained that without adequate trained personnel in primary health centres, pregnant women might not receive timely care, and children could succumb to illnesses that could have been prevented. Obi argued that healthcare should not be a luxury for the wealthy but a fundamental duty of the government. He suggested that progress should be measured by the number of lives saved, the functionality of health centres, the availability of trained health workers, and the quality of care for ordinary Nigerians.

Obi stressed that a new Nigeria cannot be built when people are dying because of issues that a proper primary healthcare system should address. He emphasized the need to focus on investing in people, enhancing primary healthcare, recruiting and retaining trained health workers, and ensuring that every Nigerian, regardless of their location or economic status, can access good, affordable healthcare. He concluded, "A New Nigeria is POssible, PO."