Leveraging Public–Private Partnerships to Strengthen Diagnostic Services in Rural Residential Area of Nigeria: Lessons from Typhoid Control

Access to reliable diagnostic services remains a major challenge in rural Nigeria, contributing to delayed detection of infectious diseases such as typhoid fever. This study examines how public–private partnership (PPP)–based inter-hospital collaborations can improve diagnostic capacity in Umuogba community, Rivers State. Using a mixed-method design that combined a systematised literature review with a case-based economic and stakeholder analysis, the study assessed workforce shortages, infrastructure gaps, and service affordability. Findings reveal severe constraints in rural diagnostics but show that PPPs reduced diagnostic delays by over 30% while improving service trust and cost-effectiveness. The study concludes that PPPs offer a sustainable model for strengthening rural diagnostic services in Nigeria and can be scaled to other infectious diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis. Received: 01 December 2025 / Accepted: 31 December 2025 / Published: January 2026