A comparative assessment of the level of stockouts of modern family planning services in private and public health facilities in Nigeria

Background: The use of family planning (FP) methods and stockouts of contraceptives are major challenges to the FP program in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study assessed the level of stockouts of contraceptives in Nigerian health facilities. This survey was carried out in 767 health facilities offering FP services across all six geopolitical zones of Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study involving a quantitative technique. Data were collected from 116 private and 651 public health facilities in Nigeria. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from the facilities, and a physical inventory was taken. Data were analyzed using IBM-SPSS, version 25.0. Results: The stockout rate in the last 3 months was 63.8% in private and 47.5% in public health facilities (P = 0.001), whereas stockouts on the visit day were 63.8% in private and 51.0% in public facilities (P = 0.011). On the day of the visit, the stockout rate in private health facilities ranged from 9.3% to 26.5%, whereas it ranged from 5.3% to 24.2% in public health facilities. The main causes of stockouts of some contraceptives are low/no demand and a lack of supply. Conclusions: This study found a high level of stockouts of FP services in private and public health facilities, but higher in private facilities. Both the poor supply and low demand for FP services in Nigeria require the attention of policymakers and health officials.