Situation Assessment of Human Resources in the Public Health Sector in Nigeria

Nigeria has one of the largest stocks of human resources for health (HRH) in Africa. However, great disparities in health status and access to health care exist among the six geo-political zones, and between rural and urban areas. This assessment measures the size, skills mix, distribution, and growth rate of HRH in the public health sector in Nigeria. The assessment also quantifies the increase in HRH requirements in the public health sector necessary for reaching key PEPFAR targets and the health Millennium Development Goals. The findings are based on a survey conducted in April-May 2006 in 290 public health facilities representing all levels of care (primary, secondary, and tertiary). The study data enabled us to estimate the total number of doctors, nurses, midwives, lab and pharmacy staff, and community health workers currently employed in the public sector. The distribution of health workers by level of care, and HRH availability in rural and urban areas was also quantified. Staff attrition rates, measuring the number of those leaving the public sector as percent of total staff, were determined among all staff categories. The annual growth in HRH in the public sector from new graduates was also measured. [abstract]