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Lagos State Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, Babajide Saheed, has called for comprehensive upgrades to all Primary Healthcare Centres, PHCs, insisting that each facility must be fully functional, properly equipped, and staffed with at least one medical doctor.
Saheed said strengthening primary healthcare at the community level is critical to meeting the needs of underserved populations and easing the growing burden on secondary and tertiary hospitals across Lagos State.
He explained that many residents, especially those in densely populated and low-income areas, still lack access to nearby primary healthcare facilities. As a result, they are often forced to travel long distances or depend on substandard alternatives for basic medical attention.
Speaking exclusively with newsmen, the NMA chairman reiterated his earlier position that the existing number of PHCs is grossly inadequate for a state with a population estimated at over 20 million.
According to him, Lagos currently has 376 wards, and each ward should ideally have a fully operational primary healthcare centre to ensure equitable distribution of services at the grassroots.
Saheed also raised concerns about uneven manpower distribution, noting that while some PHCs have multiple doctors, others operate without any medical doctor at all.
He warned that the shortage and poor spread of functional PHCs often lead to delays in treatment, worsening health conditions, and avoidable deaths, stressing that early intervention at the primary care level remains vital to disease prevention and improved health outcomes.
The NMA chairman maintained that a strong and accessible primary healthcare system forms the backbone of an efficient and equitable health sector.
He explained that aligning the number of PHCs with the number of wards would make healthcare services more accessible and responsive to community needs.
He further emphasised that each PHC must have at least one doctor attached to it, arguing that distributing doctors evenly across facilities would boost public confidence, improve quality of care, and enable early detection of complications before referral to higher-level hospitals when necessary.
Saheed also urged the state government to strengthen its healthcare workforce and explore partnerships with the private sector to expand access to care.
He noted that private hospitals could be integrated into the primary healthcare system to offer basic medical services at affordable rates, following models already in practice in some areas.
According to him, such collaboration would help reduce congestion in major hospitals, cut healthcare costs, and ensure that residents can access essential medical services closer to their communities.
