Assessment of Infrastructure and Commodity Supply in Nigeria Private Health Facilities: Implication on the implementation for Maternal and Child Care Policies

Abstract

The Government of Nigeria provides health infrastructure, equipment and essential commodities to government owned health facilities, with the exclusion of private health facilities. This study assessed the privately owned health care services provisions, with regard to service delivery rooms / area, utilities, equipment and training and commodity availability. A cross sectional study was carried out on seventeen randomly selected privately owned health care delivery facilities, in North Central, North West, South East and South-South regions of Nigeria. Using Pathfinder International integrated services delivery assessment tool. Result showed that all the private health facilities were connected to National grid for power (electricity) supply. 4 out of the 17 (23.53%) had inadequate lighting within the facilities, and supply of water was very good in 9 (52.94%) of the facilities accessed and only 3 (17.65%) had in adequate supply of water. Hot air ovens (auotclave) were used by 58.82% of the facilities for sterilization of instruments. Only 5.88% and 23.53% of the facilities had Norplant implant insertion /removal kits and mini laparotomy kits respectively. Vasectomy kit was not very common in the facilities accessed. All the facilities had sphygmomanometers and stethoscopes. It can be concluded from this study that the state of the physical infrastructural facilities of the private sector health facilities is generally adequate for delivery of maternal and child health services. Though there is significant absence of systemic approach to quantification of health commodities and availability of essential commodities. It is therefore recommended that federal government and private nonprofit organizations should support the private sector commodity consumption and family planning programmes for reduction of maternal and child morbidity and mortality rates. Ongoing review of the National Reproductive Health Policy should include private sector health facilities.

Keywords: Private Health Facilities, Maternal and Child Health, Infrastructure and commodities provision

The Tropical Journal of Health Sciences Vol 19 No 1 (January 2012)