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Lagos State has recorded a 68 per cent increase in the uptake of modern family planning services and improved early antenatal care attendance among pregnant women, signalling significant gains in maternal healthcare through sustained investments, stronger primary healthcare and evidence-based service delivery.
The state government said the improvements reflect steady progress in maternal and child health outcomes, driven by continuous investments, rigorous performance monitoring, digital innovation and stronger community engagement across the health sector.
The Lagos State Primary Health Care Board (LSPHCB) disclosed the figures during a Media Roundtable Dialogue on Evidence-Based Health Reporting and Public Discourse organised by the International Society of Media in Public Health (ISMPH) in partnership with EngenderHealth in Lagos.
Speaking at a media dialogue on evidence-based health reporting, the Head of Monitoring and Evaluation, Lagos State Primary Health Care Board, Mrs Abioye Amodu, said Lagos now operates 342 primary healthcare facilities across the state.
She said the facilities include 81 comprehensive primary healthcare centres providing round-the-clock services, supported by more than 4,000 healthcare workers delivering essential healthcare to residents.
According to Amodu, the government’s priority is to ensure every ward has access to a functional primary healthcare centre capable of providing both essential and emergency health services.
She disclosed that Lagos has expanded digital healthcare delivery, with 101 primary healthcare facilities already operating Electronic Medical Records to improve patient management and healthcare planning.
Amodu explained that service quality, infrastructure, workforce capacity and maternal and child health outcomes are continually assessed through performance scorecards to strengthen accountability and improve service delivery.
She highlighted key achievements, including 96 percent of newborns receiving breastfeeding within one hour of birth and improved outcomes in newborn resuscitation across public primary healthcare facilities.
She also said primary healthcare centres now provide about 92 percent of childhood immunisation services delivered within the state’s public health sector.
According to Amodu, Lagos also achieved near-perfect performance under the Primary Healthcare Under One Roof initiative, covering governance, financing, service delivery, health data management and essential medicine supply. Amodu further disclosed that more newborns are now benefiting from chlorhexidine cord care, a critical intervention aimed at reducing neonatal infections and improving infant survival.
She noted that regular monthly and quarterly assessments of health facilities using Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) scorecards and Primary Healthcare Facility Assessment Tools (PHC-FAT) have shown consistent improvements in service delivery across PHCs between 2023 and 2025.
She stressed that although public awareness has improved considerably, stronger community participation and ownership remain essential for sustaining the progress recorded in the health sector.
For instance, she expressed concern over the persistent trend of late antenatal registration among pregnant women, warning that many women still present for care after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
“One of the issues the media can help us with is that mothers don’t come early to register for pregnancy. Most times, they come in after 20 weeks and there are so many complications that can arise from that,” she said.
She also identified manpower shortages, weak laboratory services and inadequate ambulance availability in some primary healthcare centres as major challenges requiring urgent attention.
Also speaking, the Director of Health Planning, Research and Statistics at the LSPHCB, Dr Temitope Balogun-Alo, reaffirmed the board’s commitment to expanding access to quality healthcare at the community level.
She disclosed that 81 of the state’s 342 primary healthcare centres now provide 24-hour services, ensuring that every local government area has at least one round-the-clock PHC.
According to her, the state has continued to upgrade PHC infrastructure while investing in continuous professional development and attitudinal training for healthcare workers.
“A lot of healthcare services are now available across the PHCs in Lagos, with 81 out of the existing 342 primary healthcare centres offering 24-hour services,” she said.
Balogun-Alo urged residents to take advantage of healthcare services available in their communities, noting that many people still overlook PHCs despite improvements in infrastructure and service delivery.
On health financing, the Head of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation at the Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA), Mrs Adetoro Tayo, said the agency had intensified public enlightenment on the state’s mandatory social health insurance scheme.
She disclosed that 56 health journalists were trained in January 2026 to improve reporting on health insurance and public health programmes, while another 30 journalists are expected to undergo similar training in the coming months.
“The successful implementation of health programmes requires not only robust policies and systems, but also effective communication that enables citizens to understand, embrace and participate in these initiatives,” she said.
Tayo added that the agency had introduced the Ilera Eko Spotlight platform and strengthened its digital communication channels to improve public access to health information and increase enrolment in the state’s health insurance scheme.
She encouraged Lagos residents to subscribe to health insurance to reduce the financial burden of rising healthcare costs.
Earlier, the Executive Director of the International Society of Media in Public Health (ISMPH), Mrs Moji Makanjuola, described the media as a powerful tool for shaping public discourse, influencing government policies and promoting accountability in the health sector.
Represented by the organisation’s Programme Director, Solomon Dogo, she observed that although large volumes of health data are generated by government agencies and development partners, much of the information is not effectively disseminated to the public.
According to her, the roundtable was designed to strengthen journalists’ understanding of health data interpretation, promote responsible reporting and deepen collaboration between the media and health institutions.
“Achieving these goals requires prompt review, responsive decisions and immediate action plans to communicate health evidence accurately and responsibly,” she said.
Dogo added that the initiative seeks to equip journalists with the skills required to translate complex health statistics into impactful reports capable of driving policy reforms and improving accountability.
He stressed that stronger collaboration among government agencies, development partners and the media would enhance public trust, improve health communication and accelerate progress in primary healthcare delivery across Lagos State.
The event concluded with calls from the Lagos State Unified Media Health Coalition, the Society for Family Health and other stakeholders for stronger partnerships to improve health outcomes through evidence-based journalism and informed public engagement.
