A report by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has revealed that state governments allocated a meagre 1.22% of their health budgets to medical equipment over two years, raising concerns about the prioritisation of healthcare infrastructure across the country.

The review of health sector expenditure from 2021 to 2023 showed that the bulk of health funding—61.83%—was directed towards public health services and administration, leaving critical areas such as hospital services, outpatient care, and research underfunded.

Medical appliances and equipment were among the least funded, despite their essential role in delivering quality healthcare.

In 2022, total health spending across the 36 states amounted to N505 billion, a slight increase from N484 billion in 2021.

While the 2023 health budget rose significantly to N923.31 billion—an 83% increase—budget performance historically lags at around 63%, meaning actual spending may fall short of projections.

The report also highlighted structural issues in state health budgets.

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Only 15 states had a Medium Term Health Sector Strategy guiding allocations, with others relying on inconsistent frameworks that lacked clear focus on critical healthcare needs.

Furthermore, recurrent expenditure continues to overshadow capital spending in most states, averaging 67% to 33%.

However, a few states, including Ebonyi and Rivers, bucked this trend, prioritising capital investments in their health sectors.