EngenderHealth-led initiative seeks to improve healthcare through evidence, community oversight and policy dialogue.
By Bunmi Yekini
A coalition of civil society organisations and government agencies in Lagos State is embarking on an ambitious initiative to strengthen public healthcare by introducing annual spot checks of health facilities, a programme organisers say will generate evidence to improve service delivery, guide budget decisions and deepen community participation in the state’s health system.
The exercise, led by EngenderHealth and its partners, will see trained enumerators visit 72 primary and secondary health facilities across 18 local government areas beginning in early August, collecting information that will be used to assess facility performance and identify opportunities for improvement.
Organisers say the initiative marks a shift towards greater transparency and shared responsibility for healthcare, bringing together government, communities and development partners to improve services ahead of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“What motivated EngenderHealth to undertake this spot check is to provide a clearer picture of the state of our health facilities,” said Abiodun Ajayi, State Advocacy Coordinator for the Centre for Communication and Social Impact (CCSI), one of the organisations implementing the project.
“Sometimes services are being provided, but there are small gaps we may not readily see. This exercise is designed to identify those gaps so that they can be addressed.”
Unlike a conventional survey, the spot check is intended as a rapid assessment of conditions within health facilities while also reviewing a year’s operational data to provide a broader picture of performance.
Following the exercise, findings from each participating local government will be presented during an Open Lagos Health Sector Dialogue involving government officials, community leaders, ward health committees, civil society organisations and other stakeholders.
Ajayi said the discussions would encourage collective ownership of healthcare improvements rather than placing responsibility solely on government.
“We want communities and stakeholders to see where improvements are needed and work together to ensure health facilities continue providing quality services,” he said.
The programme builds on similar work undertaken in Kaduna State, where organisers say the initiative contributed to measurable improvements in health facility performance.
Barrister Ayo Adebusuyi of the Lagos State Civil Society Participation for Development said the project brings together the Lagos State Ministry of Health, the Primary Health Care Board, the Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget, the Lagos State Accountability Mechanism on Maternal Health (LASAM) and other partners in what he described as a whole-sector approach to improving healthcare.
“The whole idea is to obtain evidence of what is happening on the ground,” Adebusuyi said. “We will produce a health sector scorecard and bring all stakeholders together so we can collectively evaluate where we are and identify the way forward.”
He said the findings would also support evidence-based budget planning for the state’s health sector, ensuring future investments respond more directly to identified needs.
To ensure the assessment reflects longer-term performance, organisers will compare observations from facility visits with routine health data collected over the previous year.
Basit Baruwa, Chairman of LASAM’s Evidence Subcommittee, said combining spot checks with historical records would provide a more reliable picture of service delivery.
“This exercise gives us foresight into what is happening in our facilities so that we can analyse the findings and determine where improvements are needed,” he said.
He described the initiative as the first statewide spot-check programme of its kind in Lagos and said regular assessments could help establish a culture of continuous improvement across primary and secondary healthcare facilities.
For Lagos residents, Baruwa said the greatest benefit would be stronger primary healthcare services closer to where people live.
“The closest health facility to any household is the primary healthcare centre,” he said. “Regular monitoring encourages facilities to improve performance, while also helping us identify where communities themselves may need more information or support.”
Organisers hope the exercise will become an annual programme, creating a continuous feedback mechanism that enables policymakers, health workers and communities to measure progress and strengthen Lagos’ healthcare system over time.