The World Health Organization (WHO) Nigeria and the Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria (PSHAN) have reinforced their commitment to transforming the nation’s healthcare landscape through robust private sector investments. This renewed synergy was spotlighted during a strategic courtesy visit by Dr. Anne Adah-Ogoh, PSHAN’s Director of Policy, to Dr. Pavel Ursu, the WHO Representative to Nigeria.
The high-level meeting served as a critical platform to review the milestones of their ongoing collaboration and chart a course for expanded healthcare interventions.
Scaling Up the Adopt-A-Healthcare Facility Programme
Central to the discussions was the evaluation of the Adopt-A-Healthcare Facility Programme (ADHFP), a flagship initiative designed to systematically upgrade primary healthcare centers (PHCs) nationwide. Building on current successes, the meeting explored a proposed WHO adoption of 36 additional PHCs, ensuring that at least one facility is revitalized in each of Nigeria’s states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). This strategic expansion aims to deepen mutual collaboration and institutionalize sustainable investments within the country’s grassroots health framework.
“The visit provided a unique opportunity to review the impact of the Adopt-A-Healthcare Facility Programme (ADHFP), further explore WHO’s proposed adoption of 36 PHCs, including one in the FCT, and deepen ongoing mutual collaboration,” stated WHO Nigeria in an official brief following the meeting.
Measurable Impacts on Grassroots Healthcare Delivery
The collaborative framework between WHO and PSHAN has already yielded substantial institutional breakthroughs, revitalizing 60 functional PHCs across 33 states and the FCT. According to verified program metrics, the partnership has successfully expanded medical access to underserved demographics, resulting in 711,272 people gaining access to quality healthcare services.
The clinical footprint of the ADHFP expansion also highlights critical maternal and child health interventions. To date, 274,612 children under the age of one have been immunized, while 76,500 pregnant women received vital Antenatal Care. Additionally, healthcare workers treated 31,117 cases of malaria in children under five, registered 38,860 family planning acceptors, and conducted 16,677 community outreaches to drive health literacy at the local level.
Driving Digital Health and Continental Expansion
Looking toward future initiatives, the partnership is positioning itself to leverage technological innovations to optimize patient outcomes. The leaders emphasized plans to accelerate digital health coverage and unlock domestic private sector resources to reduce dependency on external funding. By establishing a resilient, data-driven primary healthcare model in Nigeria, WHO and PSHAN aim to create a scalable blueprint that can be replicated to uplift healthcare systems in other African countries.
