PloS one
Assessing primary health care facilities in six prioritized Nigerian states: Linking facility readiness with service availability
By Fasawe O, Abba A, Yerima Mohammed A and 17 others.
Abstract
Background
Nigeria's poor health indicators have been linked to its dysfunctional Primary Health Care (PHC) facilities. Policy gaps remain in achieving sustainable and equitable provision of PHC for Nigerians. Therefore, this study examined the relationship between health facilities' readiness and service provision in Nigeria.
Methods
This was a cross-sectional assessment of 204 PHC facilities enrolled under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund program, in six prioritized states in Nigeria. The facilities were assessed for the provision of ≥80% of the three levels of primary healthcare services-Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3-as the outcome variables. The three tiers represent the minimum, intermediate, and comprehensive levels of essential PHC services, respectively, defined under Nigeria's Minimum Service Package. Health Facility (HF) readiness (explanatory variable) was assessed across six domains, with five of the domains disaggregated into 3 levels (poor, fair, and good). Data were analysed using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and multivariable logistic regression model (alpha = 0.05).