The research programme’s general objective is to contribute to a body of evidence on the strengthening of the health system in Nigeria that can influence the development and modification and implementation of policies on equitable access to health care. The specific objectives address knowledge development (research), knowledge translation (influencing policy) and capacity building and empowerment of key stakeholders) components as follows:
(i) To generate robust policy‐relevant evidence about access to primary health care in Delta State and the determinants of this access; (ii) To establish a sustainable platform of interaction between researchers, practitioners and policy makers in Delta State that facilitates the systematic use of research evidence to inform policy formulation and programme implementation; and (iii) To strengthen capacity in health systems research and knowledge translation in Delta State. The study intends to provide a better understanding of the pattern of access to primary health care and the reasons behind the use of the PHC system. The findings of the study are expected to help improve the design and implementation of policies that would lead to effective, equitable and efficient PHC delivery systems in Delta State. This explains the commitment of the project to knowledge transfer and knowledge brokerage as presented in the next section.
