A coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs), in collaboration with government institutions and development partners, has unveiled an independent health facilities assessment aimed at strengthening accountability, improving healthcare delivery and generating evidence to support policy reforms across Lagos State.
The initiative, known as the Open Health Sector Spot-Check, will assess 72 public health facilities across 18 Local Government Areas (LGAs), providing an independent snapshot of the quality of primary and secondary healthcare services in the state.
The exercise is expected to generate evidence that will guide health sector reforms, budget priorities and community-led interventions as Lagos works towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and the health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
The week-long assessment, scheduled to hold from August 3 to 7, 2026, will involve trained assessors visiting selected primary healthcare centres, secondary healthcare facilities and general hospitals to evaluate infrastructure, staffing, availability of essential medicines, medical equipment, infection prevention measures and service delivery.
The initiative is being implemented by the Lagos State Civil Society Participation for Development (LACSOP), Lagos State Accountability Mechanism (LASAM), Public Health Sustainable Advocacy Initiative (PHSAI) and the Centre for Communication and Social Impact (CCSI), in partnership with EngenderHealth, the Lagos State Primary Health Care Board, the Lagos State Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget.
Coalition Seeks Evidence to Drive Health Sector Reforms
Speaking during the training of field assessors, LACSOP Coordinator, Barrister Ayo Adebusoye, described the initiative as a collaborative effort designed to generate credible evidence on the state of healthcare delivery across Lagos.
According to him, the assessment is intended to provide an accurate picture of conditions within public health facilities and support evidence-based interventions that address existing gaps in service delivery.
“We are all together as part of a coalition to push forward the Open Health Sector Spot-Check. The idea is to conduct assessments of selected facilities across 18 local governments and generate evidence on what is happening on the ground,” Adebusoye said.
He explained that the selected local government areas represent both densely populated urban communities and relatively underserved locations, ensuring the findings reflect the realities of healthcare delivery across different parts of the state.
Adebusoye added that the exercise comes at a crucial period, with fewer than four years remaining to achieve the health-related Sustainable Development Goals and Universal Health Coverage.
“This is an opportunity for us to reflect on where we are as a state. If we institutionalise this exercise as an annual event, we can continually assess progress and improve our health system,” he said.
He further disclosed that the coalition would review Lagos State’s health budget performance to determine whether public investments are translating into improved health outcomes.
According to him, findings from the assessment will support evidence-based budget planning and help government prioritise future investments in the health sector.
“Without Lagos State data, any health data you have in Nigeria will be defective. This exercise is about generating credible primary evidence on the current state of healthcare,” Adebusoye added.
Assessment to Measure Performance of Public Health Facilities
Chairman of the Evidence Subcommittee of LASAM, Mr Basit Baruwa, described the exercise as an important accountability mechanism that would provide real-time information on the performance of health facilities.
He clarified that the exercise is not a conventional survey but an independent assessment designed to establish the actual state of healthcare service delivery across selected facilities.
“This is not a survey; it is a spot-check. It is a necessary exercise to gauge the performance of our health facilities and obtain evidence on what is happening at the point of service delivery,” Baruwa said.
According to him, observations gathered during field visits will be validated against one year’s health facility performance records to ensure the findings accurately reflect sustained realities rather than temporary improvements.
“We are collecting one year’s data because if what we observe on the day of the visit differs from what the records show, the data will reveal the true situation. That gives us credible evidence for action,” he added.
Baruwa noted that the initiative would strengthen routine monitoring while identifying operational gaps affecting healthcare delivery, particularly within primary healthcare centres.
He explained that effective primary healthcare services would reduce unnecessary referrals to secondary hospitals by enabling communities to access quality care closer to home.
He also said the assessment would help determine whether shortcomings in healthcare delivery are linked to systemic weaknesses or community-related factors, including poor health-seeking behaviour.
Stakeholders Seek Lasting Accountability in Healthcare
Also speaking, State Advocacy Coordinator of the Centre for Communication and Social Impact (CCSI), Mr Abiodun Ajayi, said the assessment would uncover challenges that routine reporting systems often fail to identify.
According to Ajayi, the initiative is intended to produce practical solutions rather than another report that remains unused after publication.
“Many services are being provided in our health facilities, but there are hidden gaps that we do not always see. This exercise is designed to identify those challenges before they become bigger problems,” he said.
Ajayi explained that every participating local government would receive a health sector scorecard during the Open Health Sector Dialogue, where stakeholders would jointly identify solutions to improve healthcare delivery.
He said the dialogue would bring together government officials, traditional rulers, Ward Health Committees, Community Development Committees, civil society organisations and development partners to promote shared ownership of health sector reforms.
“Healthcare accountability is a collective responsibility. Government cannot do it alone. Communities, traditional institutions and other stakeholders all have important roles to play in ensuring quality healthcare services,” Ajayi said.
He added that the coalition intends to institutionalise the Open Health Sector Spot-Check as an annual accountability exercise to monitor progress, strengthen transparency and promote evidence-based decision-making.
Stakeholders expressed optimism that the initiative would improve accountability, encourage stronger community participation, support more responsive health budgeting and accelerate progress towards Universal Health Coverage and the health-related Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
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