81.6 per cent of public health facilities in Nigeria provided antenatal care services in 2025, up from 79.7 per cent in 2023, according to the National Health Facility Survey released by the National Bureau of Statistics in Abuja. The report showed that secondary health facilities offered antenatal care at a higher rate—92.6 per cent—compared to 81.1 per cent in primary facilities. Key antenatal interventions were widely available: 94.0 per cent of facilities administered tetanus toxoid, 92.2 per cent provided folic acid, and 88.9 per cent offered intermittent preventive treatment for malaria. HIV testing was available in 84.2 per cent of facilities, but only 30.9 per cent provided antiretroviral services as part of antenatal care.
Family planning counselling was accessible in 91.9 per cent of facilities, yet availability of actual commodities remained low: 19.4 per cent had contraceptive pills, 21.1 per cent injectables, 20.2 per cent male condoms, and 21.5 per cent implants. Immunisation coverage hovered around 50 per cent for most vaccines, with measles at 52.7 per cent and rotavirus at 48.5 per cent. Knowledge of protocols for preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV dropped to 68.6 per cent in 2025 from 76.3 per cent in 2023. Only 18.6 per cent of facilities offered postnatal care, and skilled birth attendance fell to 13.8 per cent when community health extension workers were excluded. Essential delivery commodities like magnesium sulphate and infant resuscitation equipment were available in less than 40 per cent of facilities.
The modest rise in antenatal care access masks a deeper crisis in Nigeria's primary healthcare system, where 81.1 per cent of facilities offer antenatal services but only 68.9 per cent support deliveries and a mere 18.6 per cent provide postnatal care. The National Bureau of Statistics' own data reveals that secondary facilities are carrying the burden of maternal care, exposing a system where rural clinics are ill-equipped to manage births or complications, despite being the first point of contact for millions.
The reliance on Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWs), who prop up the skilled birth attendance rate from 13.8 per cent to 65.6 per cent, signals a healthcare system running on makeshift manpower. With less than half of facilities stocking basic delivery drugs like magnesium sulphate and infant resuscitation gear, the risk of preventable deaths during childbirth remains high. The drop in clinical staff knowledge on HIV prevention protocols—from 76.3 per cent in 2023 to 68.6 per cent in 2025—further undermines progress, even as HIV testing coverage stays relatively high.
For rural women, especially in the north, this translates to a dangerous gap between early pregnancy checks and actual delivery support. A mother may receive folic acid and tetanus shots at a primary clinic, only to be turned away during labour due to lack of staff or equipment. The real issue is not access to antenatal visits, but the illusion of full-spectrum care.
This pattern reflects years of underfunded primary healthcare, where inputs like vaccines and contraceptives are treated as expendable line items. Until facilities are consistently stocked and staffed beyond task-shifting, incremental gains in antenatal coverage will not reduce maternal mortality.
