UNN researchers urge Enugu to tackle absenteeism at primary health centres
- A University of Nigeria Nsukka research group presented findings on health worker absenteeism in Enugu primary healthcare centres.
- The study tested transport support, workplace support and community monitoring in four facilities from August 2025 to January 2026.
- Researchers want the state government to turn the evidence into policy and strengthen accountability.
A research group at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) has asked the Enugu State Government to act on health workers who skip duty at primary healthcare centres (PHCs), saying patients are left to wait for staff who never show up.
The Health Policy Research Group (HPRG) made the call at a stakeholders' policy dialogue in Enugu, where it presented findings from a study on absenteeism and accountability in PHCs. The meeting brought together the state Ministry of Health, the Primary Healthcare Agency, the National Health Insurance Authority, community stakeholders and the media.
Prof. Obinna Onwujekwe, who coordinates the group, said the aim was to move research evidence into government policy rather than leave it on paper. He said decisions should be guided by findings, not assumptions.
What the study found
Dr Pamela Ogbozor, a research associate with HPRG, said the intervention ran from August 2025 to January 2026 in four PHCs in Nsukka and Igbo-Etiti in Enugu North, and in Nkanu West. Eight other facilities served as controls, where no interventions were introduced.
In the facilities where the interventions were applied, all health workers regularly completed attendance registers, compared with 90 per cent in the control facilities. Also, 15.4 per cent of workers in the intervention facilities left before their shifts ended, against 48 per cent in the control group.
Ogbozor listed absenteeism as failing to report for duty, arriving late, or leaving before the end of a shift. She warned that it can expose patients to complications and death, and piles extra workload on the few staff on duty.
According to Onwujekwe, the research pointed to transport problems, weak support inside facilities and limited community involvement as drivers of absenteeism. The group prioritised three fixes: transport support for health workers, especially those serving remote communities; support systems where colleagues cover for one another; and community participation in monitoring services.
He said combining the three could significantly cut absenteeism. He also acknowledged the state's clock-in system for monitoring attendance, but said attendance tracking alone is not enough.
Mr Stephen Obi, who represented the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), described absenteeism and ghost workers as serious challenges for the commission. He said he would take the information from the dialogue back to the ICPC.
What happens next
The group expects the state government and other policymakers to adopt the recommended interventions across Enugu's PHCs. Onwujekwe said the research complements the state's efforts, so that newly built health centres are not left without health workers.
