The National Primary Healthcare Development Agency has said over 70 per cent of medical drugs being dispensed in Nigeria are substandard.

The NPHCDA in a statement shared on its website ahead of the Primary Healthcare Summit and captioned ‘Re-imaging Primary Health Care in Nigeria’, outlined some of the challenges the country is facing in the healthcare sector. 

It reads in part;

“The majority of Nigerians do not have access to health services; 20 per cent of all maternal deaths globally occur in Nigeria; infant mortality occurs at a rate of 19 deaths per 1,000 births; children under five are dying at a rate of 128 per 1,000; over 70 per cent of medical drugs dispensed in Nigeria are substandard.

“The weaknesses of the PHC system led to the under-utilisation of the PHC, resulting in significant burden within the health sector, with patients over-lying on tertiary and secondary health care services.

“Exorbitant health expenditures to access care place huge financial burdens on households and drive poverty.”