Lagos, Ogun rank top performing states in health preparedness

Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; his Ogun State counterpart, Dapo Abiodun

An African-focused research firm, SB Morgen Intelligence has released the Health Preparedness Index (HPI) report for 2024 which rated Lagos as the best-performing state with a score of 25.09 points followed by Ogun and Ekiti states.

The report aims to examine Nigeria’s sub-national efforts to strengthen its health system in preparation for future infectious diseases and health emergencies through analysis of state-level initiatives, budgetary allocations as well as health outcomes.

According to the report, the HPIs were derived from a comprehensive set of indicators reflecting each state’s overall health infrastructure and outcomes to provide an overview of the country’s readiness to face impending health crises and identify areas for urgent intervention and improvement.

With some factors prioritized more than others, the indicators include health budget per capita, average household size, Human Development Index, doctor-to-population ratio, infant and child mortality rate, life expectancy at birth, and immunization coverage among children within the age 12-23 and 24-35 months.

Having the same methodology as in previous years, the ratio of doctors to patients was given the highest importance, with 30 points, followed by infant mortality at 25 points while the state’s health budget per capita and the percentage of the total budget allocated to health each carry a weight of 10 points and household size with five points as the least considered.

While Lagos maintained its leading position from 2023, the 2024 HPI revealed that Ogun state followed closely with 23.23 points, improving from 4th place in 2021 to 2nd in 2023 while Ekiti made a significant leap from 13th to 3rd place with a score of 23.04 points.

The overall health landscape in Nigeria remains concerning despite some improvements in health budget allocations across various states and many states continue to grapple with deepening health challenges exacerbated by inadequate infrastructural improvements.

Other states including Bayelsa and Ondo round out the top five with scores of 22.99 and 22.86, respectively, moving from 11th to 4th and 2nd to 5th places.

According to the results, several states in the northern region continue to face significant health challenges with scores ranging from 13.04 for Zamfara, 12.27 for Gombe, 12.18 for Sokoto, 11.92 for Kebbi while and Yobe occupied the bottom positions on the HPI with 11.83 points.

The report also highlighted the analysis of state health budgets which revealed significant disparities across Nigeria including Cross River leading with an impressive 22.1 percent allocation, followed by Kaduna with 15.8 percent and Bauchi 15 percent while in contrast, Bayelsa, Ekiti were allocated 3.4 percent, 2.5 percent respectively with Ebonyi having the smallest percentage of 0.5.

The result also noted that while the under-five mortality rate remained alarmingly high at 107 per 1,0002 live births in 2022, recent data from 2023 showed that the total number of maternal deaths, stillbirths and neonatal deaths stood at 540, underscoring the urgent need for improved maternal and child health services.

“This underscores the urgent need for sustained, strategic investments in healthcare infrastructure, human resources and service delivery across all states to enhance Nigeria’s overall health preparedness,” it reported.