Anambra Universal Healthcare & Primary Care Strategy 2027–2035

Objective

To translate the Universal Health Coverage and Healthcare Reform Bill into a phased, statewide implementation plan built on five principles: universalism, equity, prevention, quality and financial protection.

Description

Healthcare is treated here as both a social right and productive economic infrastructure: a family protected from catastrophic health spending retains more income for food, education and productive investment. The Strategy builds on what already exists (ASHIA, existing PHCs, and BHCPF enrolment across 329 designated facilities) rather than creating parallel structures, working toward a single coordinated financing architecture, one essential benefits package, and multiple accredited public, private, faith-based and community providers. Primary healthcare comes first: every PHC is assessed and categorised for maintenance, rehabilitation, reconstruction, relocation or consolidation, then brought up to a modern standard covering power, water, medicines, diagnostics, maternal and child services, digital records and referral pathways. Nnewi South I serves as the demonstration constituency, starting with a full PHC audit and systematic rehabilitation rather than isolated announcements.

Implementation Phases

1. 1. Phase I · 2027–2028 · Establish the Foundation

   Statewide and Nnewi South I PHC audits, insurance-coverage and workforce baselines, medicine and digital-health assessments, a fiscal and actuarial assessment, and the detailed single-payer transition design.

2. 2. Phase II · 2028–2030 · Expand Coverage and Infrastructure

   Expand enrolment, upgrade priority PHCs, improve referral and digital-health systems, strengthen medicine procurement and workforce programmes, and increase financial protection for vulnerable households.

3. 3. Phase III · 2030–2032 · Integrate the System

   Move toward integrated purchasing and coverage, expand provider accreditation and performance-based purchasing, connect more PHCs digitally, and expand specialist referral capacity.

4. 4. Phase IV · 2032–2035 · Universal and High-Quality Coverage

   A mature system combining high population coverage, strong primary healthcare, financial protection, quality-based purchasing and integrated digital infrastructure, with precise targets set only after baseline and actuarial findings.

Institutional Role

Coordinated by the relevant Anambra State ministry of health and ASHIA, working with NHIA on financing integration; the Office of the Member representing Nnewi South I leads the Nnewi South I PHC Audit and rehabilitation programme as the statewide demonstration model.

Version History

• v0.1 · 2026-08-11: Initial policy proposal published for public comment.