Costing of Primary Health Care Services in Kano and Kaduna States, Nigeria

Timeline: January 2021 – December 2021 | Status: Completed

Kano and Kaduna States, Nigeria

Project Overview

Strong primary healthcare systems depend on adequate and sustainable financing. To make informed investment decisions, governments need a clear understanding of the resources required to deliver essential health services and maintain quality care across health facilities.

In 2021, the Health Strategy and Delivery Foundation (HSDF), with support from Management Sciences for Health (MSH), implemented the Costing of Primary Health Care Services in Kano and Kaduna States, Nigeria project. The initiative was designed to provide detailed evidence on the costs associated with delivering primary healthcare services, helping decision-makers better understand resource requirements and financing gaps within the health system.

The project built on growing national efforts to strengthen primary healthcare and advance Universal Health Coverage by generating practical evidence that could guide budgeting, resource allocation, and service delivery planning at state and national levels.

Through rigorous costing analysis, the project contributed to a stronger evidence base for health financing reforms and more efficient use of limited resources.

Primary healthcare facilities provide the foundation for essential health services, yet many health systems face challenges in accurately estimating the costs of delivering care. Without reliable costing data, it becomes difficult to determine funding needs, assess efficiency, plan investments, or evaluate the financial sustainability of health programmes.

As Kano and Kaduna States continued efforts to strengthen primary healthcare delivery, there was a need for robust evidence that could inform financing decisions and support long-term health system planning.

HSDF applied health economics and financing expertise to assess the costs associated with delivering primary healthcare services across selected facilities and service areas. The project focused on:

Estimating the costs of delivering essential primary healthcare services.
Analysing expenditure patterns and resource utilisation.
Identifying cost drivers within service delivery systems.
Generating evidence to support budgeting and planning processes.
Informing discussions on sustainable primary healthcare financing.
Supporting policymakers with data for resource allocation and investment decisions.

The analysis was designed to provide practical insights that could strengthen financial planning and improve the efficiency of healthcare investments.

The project provided valuable information on the resources required to deliver primary healthcare services within two of Nigeria’s largest states. By generating reliable costing evidence, the initiative supported more informed discussions around health financing, resource mobilisation, and service delivery improvement.

The findings contributed to broader efforts to strengthen primary healthcare systems and ensure that investments are aligned with the realities of delivering quality healthcare services at scale.