Akwa Ibom State has declared a state of emergency on its health sector, a swift response occurring barely 48 hours after a PREMIUM TIMES investigative report exposed the deplorable conditions of Primary Health Centres (PHCs) across the state. The report, published on Thursday, detailed how understaffed and ill-equipped PHCs have compelled women to resort to home births or untrained attendants, leading to preventable fatalities among mothers and infants. It further revealed that numerous 'model PHCs', despite being commissioned by the government, were either locked, devoid of staff, or incapable of providing crucial night services.

The scale of the crisis was starkly outlined: across Akwa Ibom’s 468 PHCs, there are merely 2,164 health workers, averaging less than five per facility. This figure falls significantly short of the 24-staff minimum recommended by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA). Maternal healthcare indicators underscore the decay, with the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey 2023-2024 indicating that only 38.6 percent of live births in the state occur in health facilities. Akwa Ibom also records one of the lowest percentages of births delivered by a skilled provider in Nigeria, at 51.5 percent, excluding Niger State in the southern and North-central regions. Consequently, the state faces a maternal mortality rate of 774 per 100,000 live births, according to District Health Information Software 2.

Adding to the concern, PREMIUM TIMES' findings showed that despite billions of naira budgeted for PHC construction and rehabilitation, many facilities remain non-functional. This financial discrepancy was highlighted by Governor Umo Eno’s gifting of 13 SUVs, valued at approximately ₦1.3 billion, to federal lawmakers in May – a sum that health experts suggested could cover PHC staff salaries for several years.

The declaration of a state of emergency was announced by Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Information, Aniekan Umanah, following a State Executive Council meeting on Friday. Mr. Umanah stated that Governor Eno made the decision after a comprehensive review of the state's healthcare development roadmap, aiming to accelerate reforms and ensure efficient health services statewide.

Key directives under this emergency regime include the further upgrade of medical facilities across the state, the reopening of the recruitment portal, and the engagement of 2,000 healthcare workers. Notably, the Voters Identification Number (VIN) requirement for applicants has been waived to facilitate this recruitment. The council also directed the upgrading of health training institutions, the enrollment and training of health professionals, and the engagement of retired but willing medical personnel on a contract basis. An inter-ministerial steering committee, comprising 12 members and chaired by the Commissioner for Health, Ekem John, has been established to oversee the implementation of these directives. This increased recruitment target of 2,000 workers addresses earlier concerns raised by the PREMIUM TIMES report, which noted that a previous plan to recruit only 1,000 personnel was deemed inadequate for the state's high maternal and child mortality burden.

Coinciding with these health reforms, Governor Umo Eno also approved a N695 billion supplementary budget, elevating the state's total budget for 2025 to an unprecedented N1.65 trillion. This approval, also given at Friday’s State Executive Council meeting, aims to realign priorities and accommodate emerging expenditures in government projects and programs. The expanded fiscal plan, which includes an amendment of the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) to N1.7 trillion, is designed to cater for new priorities such as national minimum wage implementation, emergency flood control, housing estates, and funding for newly created ministries like Sports, Digital Economy, Humanitarian Services, and the Bureau of Rural Development and Cooperatives, alongside the critical health sector reforms. The state of emergency in the health sector follows approximately a week after a government-appointed panel submitted its report investigating the tragic death of a pregnant woman and her newborn at the General Hospital, Ikot Ekpene.