The World Bank has strengthened its partnership with the Edo State Government to revitalise 61 Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) across the state as part of efforts to improve access to quality healthcare, particularly in rural and underserved communities.
The initiative is being implemented under the Immunisation Plus and Malaria Progress by Accelerating Coverage and Transforming Services (IMPACT) Project, a World Bank-supported programme designed to improve maternal, newborn, child health, immunisation, and malaria services while strengthening primary healthcare delivery.
According to project officials, the revitalisation programme includes the renovation and upgrading of healthcare facilities, provision of modern medical equipment, improved water and electricity supply, digital health systems, and the supply of essential medicines to ensure more reliable healthcare services.
The project also focuses on strengthening human resources for healthcare through the deployment of skilled birth attendants, capacity building for frontline health workers, and enhanced data management systems to improve healthcare planning and service delivery.
Officials stated that the upgraded PHCs are expected to improve access to antenatal care, routine immunisation, safe childbirth services, malaria treatment, child healthcare, and other essential primary healthcare services for thousands of residents across Edo State.
The World Bank noted that strengthening primary healthcare remains one of the most effective ways to reduce maternal and child mortality while expanding access to preventive and curative healthcare at the community level. The programme is also intended to improve health outcomes by ensuring that essential services are available closer to where people live.
The partnership reflects broader efforts by the Federal Government, state governments, and development partners to modernise Nigeria’s primary healthcare system through infrastructure upgrades, improved staffing, digitalisation, and better access to essential medicines. Similar World Bank-supported PHC revitalisation projects are underway in several other Nigerian states.
Healthcare experts say investments in primary healthcare infrastructure are critical to achieving universal health coverage, reducing pressure on secondary and tertiary hospitals, and improving healthcare outcomes, particularly in rural communities where PHCs serve as the first point of contact for medical care. The Edo initiative is expected to strengthen the state’s healthcare system, improve service delivery, and enhance community access to affordable, quality healthcare while supporting Nigeria’s broader health sector reform agenda.
