Primary healthcare facilities supported by the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) in Rivers State have recorded an improvement in quality-of-care performance, with the overall assessment score rising to 78.9 per cent in the third quarter of 2026.
This is contained in the Third Quarter 2026 Quality of Care Assessment and Monitoring and Evaluation report released by the Rivers State Primary Health Care Management Board (RSPHCMB).
The statement was signed by Dtn. Buduzhi Gift Oguzor, State Focal Person, Basic Health Care Provision Fund, Rivers State Primary Health Care Management Board.
The assessment covered 203 of the 205 BHCPF-supported primary healthcare facilities across the state’s 23 local government areas.
According to the report, the overall performance score increased from 76.4 per cent in the first quarter to 77.9 per cent in the second quarter and 78.9 per cent in the third quarter, representing a 2.5 percentage-point improvement.
The report attributed the progress to improvements in facility administration, financial management, availability of essential medicines, maternal and child healthcare services, health information management and community participation.
It showed that administrative systems and infrastructure improved from 73 per cent in the first quarter to 79 per cent in the third quarter, while financial management increased from 75 to 80 per cent.
Similarly, essential drugs and commodities rose from 82 to 86 per cent, while maternal and child health services improved from 81 to 84 per cent.
Patient care management also increased from 76 to 82 per cent, while Health Management Information Systems (HMIS) recorded a seven percentage-point improvement, rising from 67 to 74 per cent.
The assessment further indicated that 95 per cent of clients reported satisfaction with services, while 91 per cent of women received respectful and confidential care. It also reported that 89 per cent of newborns were breastfed within one hour of birth.
However, the report identified human resource management and emergency referral services as major areas requiring urgent attention.
It revealed that the human resource management score declined from 61 per cent in the first quarter to 51 per cent in the third quarter.
It also noted that only 28 per cent of the assessed facilities had at least two registered nurses or midwives, while just seven per cent had a functional ambulance or vehicle for emergency referrals.
Other identified gaps included inadequate quality improvement activities, delays in Direct Facility Financing and low compliance with the use of partographs during labour management.
The report stated that only 13 per cent of facilities held at least three Quality Improvement team meetings during the previous quarter, while 14 per cent received their quarterly Direct Facility Financing on time.
In response, the Board said its BHCPF Programme Implementation Unit would intensify supportive supervision, clinical mentoring and performance monitoring, particularly in underperforming facilities and the seven lowest-performing local government areas identified for priority attention.
It added that interventions would focus on improving staffing, maternal and newborn healthcare, emergency referral systems, timely release of funds, financial accountability and data quality.
The Board also directed facilities to use findings from the third-quarter assessment in preparing their fourth-quarter 2026 business plans to address identified gaps.
