According to data from the Federal Ministry of Health’s Health Facilities Register, Nigeria has 40,017 operational hospitals and clinics spread across the country’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. The health facilities are jointly owned by the government and private sector operators.
Bayelsa, Borno, Ekiti, Yobe, and Rivers states were found to have the fewest operational hospitals and clinics in the country. And, of these states, Rivers and Bayelsa have the highest population density per health facility. In Rivers state, for example, there are over 10,000 people to one healthcare facility.
The absence of operational hospitals and clinics in these states has a direct impact on not only the population density per health facility but also on the goal of ensuring universal access to healthcare services.
Efforts at ensuring universal health coverage in Nigeria should include providing more operational healthcare facilities.