Orodata, Africa Data Hub Begin Tracking Government Spending on 300 PHCs Nationwide
Orodata Science, in partnership with the Africa Data Hub (ADH), has commenced a new phase of its primary healthcare accountability initiative aimed at tracking government spending on 300 Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) across Nigeria.
The exercise seeks to go beyond government budget allocations, procurement records and official claims to determine whether funds allocated for the revitalisation and upgrading of PHCs are translating into functional facilities and improved healthcare services for Nigerians.
Orodata said the initiative would combine field verification, community engagement, investigative journalism and public data reporting to establish the actual condition of selected PHCs and compare it with government records.
The organisation said the project is being undertaken under a mandate from the Federal Government following claims of PHC revitalisation and upgrades through relevant government health agencies.
At the heart of the exercise is a simple but critical question: What happened to the money allocated to these healthcare facilities, and are Nigerians getting value for it?
The latest initiative builds on Orodata Science’s previous work on primary healthcare data and accountability across the country.
In 2023, the organisation commenced a multi-state health data collection project aimed at developing a reliable repository of PHC information to support evidence-based healthcare planning, reporting and accountability.
The exercise covered Anambra, Benue, Cross River, Osun, Sokoto and Taraba states, with data collected from PHCs serving underserved communities.
The findings contributed to the MyPHC Report 2024, which assessed 345 PHCs across the six states and documented deficiencies in infrastructure, service delivery and other areas affecting the effectiveness of primary healthcare.
The report was designed to give policymakers, journalists, health institutions and communities a clearer picture of conditions at PHCs and the gaps requiring government intervention.
In December 2024, Orodata and ADH announced plans to expand the data collection programme to 10 additional states and the Federal Capital Territory, targeting more than 1,000 additional PHCs.
The broader exercise was expected to increase the number of facilities covered by the programme to more than 1,500.
The organisations also developed CheckMyPHC, an open-access digital platform designed to provide citizens, journalists, researchers, health professionals and policymakers with information on primary healthcare facilities.
Orodata has subsequently used the data to support investigative journalism and strengthen the capacity of newsrooms to interrogate healthcare spending
