INSTITUTIONAL CORRUPTION AND HEALTHCARE SERVICE DELIVERY IN NORTHEAST NIGERIA: A SCOPING REVIEW OF EVIDENCE FROM PUBLIC HEALTH FACILITIES

ABSTRACTIn low- and middle-income countries, including Nigeria, healthcare service delivery is affected by institutional corruption. In conflict-affected settings like Northeast Nigeria, effects of governance deficits may be more pronounced, though evidence on their effects on public health facilities remains limited. This scoping review seeks to map the scope and nature of institutional corruption in public health facilities in Northeast Nigeria, and to identify significant literature gaps. Peer-reviewed and grey literature were systematically searched in accordance with the PRISMA-ScR framework. Sources that framed their analysis of service delivery in Nigeria’s healthcare system within the context of state corruption or governance deficits, with particular attention to evidence relevant to Northeast Nigeria were selected. Data were charted and synthesised using descriptive analysis. In most of the evidence we reviewed, the corruption in public health institutions in Nigeria is described at the national level, while the specific insights for the Northeast remain mainly in the grey literature, where significant gaps in region-specific and conflict-sensitive literature are evident. The literature describes heterogeneous procurement, absenteeism of health workers, informal payments, and their effects on access to healthcare. Although the phenomenon of institutional corruption in Nigeria’s health sector is well-known, the specific evidence related to public health facilities in Northeast Nigeria remains sparse and fragmented. By outlining the available literature and indicating gaps, this scoping review paves the way for future research and policy efforts aimed at improving health sector governance and service delivery in conflict-affected settings.