The Board of Trustees (BOT) of the Rivers State Primary Healthcare Management Board
(RSPHCMB) following its inauguration on the 7 th of May, 2023 commissioned Need
Assessment of 330 Primary Healthcare facilities in the State to enable an evidence-informed
policy and programme development to improve service delivery and uptake in the State.
Twelve facilities were not assessed because of security challenges. The Needs Assessment
utilized standardized tools from the World Health Organization’s Service Delivery Indicators
(SDI), World Health Organization’s Service Availability and Readiness Assessment (SARA)
and an in-house Integrated Supportive Supervision tool. The key findings of the Need
Assessment include the following:
⮚ Human Resources for Health: Most facilities do not meet the minimum staffing
requirement for optimal service delivery. Only 2% (8 out of 330) of the health
facilities surveyed have adequate human resources for health (HRH). Also, the health
workforce is demotivated due to work overload and lack of promotion at the State and
Local Government levels.
⮚ State of Physical Infrastructure: 62% (204 out of 330) of the facilities surveyed are in
a state of disrepair due to age of facilities, vandalization and inadequate maintenance
from insufficient funding. About 61% of the political wards lack a functional health
centre.
⮚ Essential Medicines and consumables: 73% (241 out of 330) of the health facilities
surveyed had inadequate stock of essential medicines.
⮚ Basic Equipment: 62% (205 out of 330) of the health facilities scored below 60% for
basic equipment.
⮚ Logistics: All Board vehicles were bought before 2013 and most of them are
unserviceable, thereby hindering effective operations of the activities of the Board,
including distribution of vaccines, medicines and consumables.
Recommendations:
1. Organization of a stakeholders’ conference on PHC to revitalize PHC in the State
with involvement of key stakeholders in the sector. This will help to revitalize PHC in
the State.
2. The remodeling and renovation of dilapidated health facilities.
3. The provision of health facilities for wards without any.
4. The provision of equipment and furniture to health facilities in need of supplies.
5. The provision of essential medicines in all health facilities.
6. The recruitment of new staff and promotion of existing ones will motivate the
workforce to become more productive.
7. The purchase of vehicles to ease logistic challenges encountered in the distribution of
drugs and vaccines, monitoring, supervision and evaluation activities of the Board.
8. National and State policies on PHC should be fully implemented including the
Primary Health Under One Roof, Leadership Challenge for PHCs, National Health
Act, Task Shifting and Sharing, State Community Health Insurance and others.
9. The use of data-driven policies to drive implementation of programmes and activities.
