NPHCDA reports 45 million primary healthcare visits, connects 773,000 pregnant women to services

The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) says primary healthcare visits have reached 45 million each quarter. They have also linked 773,000 pregnant women to care.

Muyi Aina, the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of NPHCDA, shared this information during the agency’s quarterly media briefing on Thursday in Abuja.

Mr Aina explained that the increase is due to ongoing efforts to improve access to reliable and quality primary healthcare services across Nigeria.

He noted that linking pregnant women to care aims to cut down on maternal and newborn deaths.

“When we started this journey, the quarterly attendance in terms of service contacts in the facilities was about 33 million or 34 million a quarter. Right now, it fluctuates between 43 million and 45 million,” he said.

He added that the highest service contacts hit 46 million in 2025. He pointed out that numbers keep growing in various healthcare service areas.

“I can tell you that the numbers continue to rise, and that is true whether you’re looking at Ante-Natal Care (ANC) attendance, immunisation, or any of the other service lines,” he said.

According to him, this increasing usage shows that Nigerians are responding well to government efforts to boost primary healthcare delivery.

Mr Aina mentioned that the agency is also rolling out targeted interventions to tackle major causes of sickness and death, especially among mothers and newborns.

He pointed out the Maternal and Newborn Mortality Reduction Initiative (MAMII) as one of the programs aimed at improving the situation for pregnant women and newborns.

“We decided to create an end-to-end framework to support pregnant women through pregnancy, delivery, and immediate postnatal care for the mother and the baby,” he said.

The NPHCDA boss explained that MAMII connects pregnant women with caseworkers, ensures necessary checks are done, and links high-risk pregnancies to suitable care facilities.

He revealed that the number of pregnant women linked to primary healthcare centres is tracked under this program in 172 local government areas across 33 states.

“No fewer than 773,000 women, with over 200,000 deliveries attended by skilled birth attendants between January and August of 2026 alone,” he said.

He added that this number shows a 17 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2025, calling it “significant progress.”

“Other interventions, including family planning, maternal health services and availability of essential commodities, are also being improved,” he said.

“We are also working with the National Emergency Medical Service and Ambulance System to ensure timely emergency transportation for pregnant women who need urgent care.”

He mentioned that the agency is strengthening efforts in family planning, maternal health services, and access to essential commodities.

Regarding the National Committee Food Bank Programme, Mr Aina said that as of the last count, “we have 23 food banks, one per local government and have delivered 9,500 food packages to 2,488 beneficiaries.”