The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Nigeria’s statistical system coordinating agency, reported on Wednesday that diagnostic accuracy among clinical health workers in Nigeria’s public health facilities declined from 56.2 per cent in 2023 to 46.1 per cent in 2025.
The agency’s report titled ‘2025 National Health Facility Survey’ which assessed diagnostic accuracy using vignettes across five priority diseases, namely diarrhoea, pneumonia, malaria, postpartum haemorrhage and asphyxia, reflected persistent gaps in healthcare delivery and clinical decision-making on healthcare delivery in the country.
The report’s data indicated that the North-East recorded the highest diagnostic accuracy at 54.3 per cent compared with the South-West, which had the lowest at 36.7 per cent, reflecting major regional disparities in clinical performance levels.
When analyzed on state-by-state basis, the data showed that Zamfara recorded the highest diagnostic accuracy at 79.0 per cent, while Osun recorded the lowest at 13.4 per cent during the period covered by the survey
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Further analysis of the report’s findings revealed that secondary health facilities recorded 68.1 per cent diagnostic accuracy, compared to 44.6 per cent of primary facilities.
Similarly, the Bureau reported that on cadre categorization, doctors scored the highest diagnostic accuracy at 74.3 per cent, followed by nurses and midwives at 56.3 per cent, community Health Extension Workers recorded 43.7 per cent, and other health workers’ rating stood at 32.3 per cent.
On adherence to clinical guidelines based on regional assessment, the NHIS report data reflected that
the North-East ranked highest at 62.9 per cent, while the South-West recorded the lowest at 46.9 per cent, while the states’ data showed again that Borno recorded the highest state-level compliance at 70.2 per cent, with Osun recording the lowest at 41.3 per cent.
Similarly, on disease-specific adherence across priority conditions, the statistics agency reported that adherence to physical examination guidelines was low nationwide at 31.0 per cent, with the North-East recording 46.1 per cent and South-West at 24.4 per cent, reflecting persistent clinical weaknesses.
When analyzed on essential drugs basis, the data showed that availability improved to 37.4 per cent in 2025 from 35.0 per cent in 2023 with primary facilities recording 36.2 per cent availability compared to secondary facilities’ 60.6 per cent availability rate.
According to the report’s findings, Edo had the highest essential drugs availability at 57.3 per cent, while Katsina recorded the lowest level but on regional basis, the South-West recorded the highest availability at 42.3 per cent, while the North-West had the least at 31.0 per cent.
On access to medicines, the NBS reported that availability of basic medical equipment stood at 36.9 per cent nationally, with 34.8 per cent in primary facilities and 76.8 per cent in secondary facilities.
It, however, clarified that at state level, Bauchi, Borno, Ebonyi, Gombe, Jigawa, Ondo, Sokoto, Katsina and the FCT, recorded 100 per cent availability, while Osun had the lowest at 9.1 per cent.
The statistics agency further reported on infection prevention and control indicators that 82.0 per cent of facilities had safety boxes, 51.0 per cent had waste containers, 74.1 per cent had hand-washing units, and 79.9 per cent had gloves.
The Bureau disclosed, however, that only 26.5 per cent had long-lasting insecticidal nets or LLIN vouchers, indicating weak malaria prevention readiness in facilities.
The latest 2025 NHFS was conducted by the NBS in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, with World Bank support, and updated the data of previous surveys conducted in 2016, 2019 and 2023, thereby providing governments and planners the required data for assessing progress and identifying persistent gaps in Nigeria’s healthcare system.
The NBS disclosed that 3,330 health facilities, comprising public primary and secondary health facilities, as well as private facilities, were selected and visited in the 36 states and the FCT, with a nominal sample of 90 facilities per state and the FCT.
