The Association of Public Health Physicians of Nigeria (APHPN) says only 40% of local government areas across the country have medical officers of health.
Newly elected president of the association, Dr. Terfa Simon Kene, revealed this in Abuja while addressing journalists. He said the shortage of medical officers is weakening Nigeria’s primary healthcare system.
“Public health physicians are the only doctors directly linked to primary healthcare,” he said. “Sadly, investment at this level has steadily declined.”
To help address the gap, the association plans to adopt 222 primary health centres—six in each state—and support their operations through crowdfunding, grants, and partnerships.
Dr. Kene also announced the launch of a virtual public health school to improve access to credible health information and training, with studios in Delta and the FCT. He added that they would collaborate with Nigerian professionals abroad to curb brain drain through knowledge sharing.
