Nigeria’s health sector faces a deepening crisis as no state achieved up to 30 percent on the 2025 Health Preparedness Index (HPI), signaling widespread vulnerability to future health emergencies.
The nationwide assessment, released in November 2025 by SBM Intelligence, paints a troubling picture of systemic weaknesses, poor infrastructure, and chronic underfunding across all 36 states.
The News Chronicle learnt that the highest rating recorded nationwide was just 26.85 percent, a clear indicator of the nation’s limited capacity to respond to pandemics or sustain effective healthcare delivery.
The report attributes much of this shortfall to the worsening “Japa Syndrome,” as thousands of doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals continue to migrate abroad due to insecurity, poor pay, and inadequate working conditions.
With a 26.85 rating, Abia State ranked first in the index, fueled by a robust per capita health expenditure of N22,926 and a fairly great Human Development Index. Ogun and Lagos came next with 23.52 and 23.08 percent, respectively. With over N221 billion, Lagos also topped the list in total health expenditure.
Kebbi (13.31) and Katsina (12.54) came last; Ebonyi emerged as the poorest in the South at 12.85 percent owing to little funding and an exceedingly high doctor-to-patient ratio of 1:21,202.
The uneven spending was as clear. While Imo and Bayelsa spent less than five percent of their yearly budgets on healthcare, states like Kaduna, Kano, and Bauchi set over 15 percent aside. These skewed priorities emphasize an immediate need for fairness in policy implementation and funding, according to analysts.
The study also showed that Nigeria’s average doctor-to-patient ratio is well below the World Health Organization’s recommendation of 1:1,000, presently at 1:15,361. One doctor in states like Bauchi and Zamfara serves more than 40,000 people, which causes packed hospitals and increasing mortality rates.
Experts caution that unless quick reforms—particularly increased salary, better amenities, and retention policies—are made, the nation runs the risk of a complete disintegration of its healthcare workforce.
