The significant factors which define the general wellbeing of an average citizen include his accessibility and affordability of food items that are nutritious, safe as well as that of healthcare delivery, while he lives in a decent accommodation. Also, he should be able to meet his basic daily needs and that of family members as well as dependants, devoid of stress. These encapsulate the financial capacity to pay all manner of bills-from electricity through that of water supply, sanitation to school fees and rent.
“Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is not the sole responsibility of the Ministry of Health. It requires a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach.” -WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus
The bitter truth however, is that faced with the prevailing harsh economic situation ravaging the country millions of Nigerian breadwinners are currently caught in a survival mode. They live from hand – to – mouth, battle with sleepless nights as they try to mentally navigate through the twisted paths of all manner of pressing needs. Even many of those who are currently engaged in working for the public and private sectors feel the weight of the increasing burden of their dependants, with some of them juggling with different debts. Worse still, are those who are either victims of unemployment or have lost their jobs. Yet, they are confronted with the payment of the aforementioned bills, as they grapple with high cost of living, including transportation, food, school fees and rent.
All these negatively impact on their health status, beginning of course, with that of the heart. It is little of a surprise therefore, that the number of Nigerians suffering from health challenges such as high blood pressure (HBP), stress and stroke has increased exponentially, especially over the past decade. So has the suicide rate and that of drug addiction.
Though about three percent of Nigeria’s GDP is invested in the health sector, it is still considerably below the average spending on healthcare among OECD countries. The percentage of GDP data was reported at 3.565 % in 2015 which was an increase of 3.331 % for 2014. That was a decade ago. Overall life expectancy at birth is 54 years; infant mortality rate is 86 per 1000 live birth while maternal mortality ratio is 840 per 100,000 live births. Agreed that Nigeria’s health status has recorded improvements, with advancements in life expectancy and some disease control, in 2024 significant issues remain, including high rates of maternal and child mortality as well as shortage of medical professionals.
In fact, Nigerian doctors are leaving in droves due to low pay and poor working conditions, leading to a healthcare crisis. That was reported in May 2025. So, as much as Nigeria has one of the largest stocks of human resources for health (HRH) in Africa, there are however, great disparities in health status and access to health care exist among the six geo- political zones. In addition, a study by RO Adesola in 2024 highlighted a substantial rise in Nigeria’s population causing a double burden of infectious and non-communicable diseases.
As the situation stands Nigeria is still lagging behind in ending preventable deaths, tuberculosis, and malaria which could still be prevalent by 2030. In Nigeria, healthy life expectancy at birth (years) has improved by 8.32 years from 46.6 [45.6 – 47.4] years in 2000 to 54.9 [53.9 – 56.2] years in 2021. Some four years later much more has to be done on both disease and vector control.
While life expectancy has increased, it remains lower than in many other countries, standing at 63.4 years in 2021, according to the WHO.
Infant and Maternal Mortality:
High rates of infant and maternal mortality persist, with rates of 70 and 814 per 1000 live births respectively, according to him, with regards to infectious diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS continue to be major public health concerns.
Similarly, on malnutrition, stunting remains prevalent, affecting a significant portion of Nigerian children. Also the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like hypertension and diabetes are increasing. But it should be noted that factors like household and ambient air pollution contribute to mortality, according to the WHO. All the same, significant progress has been made in controlling diseases like polio and guinea worm.
Going forward, there is a compelling need to take the issue of healthcare delivery as of national importance. States and federal governments should play their constitutional duties. So also is the private sector by assisting with investment of funds and infrastructural development. It is also necessary for public enlightenment on the role individuals should play with regards to prevention of disease outbreak and the spread through frequent sanitation and environmental protection. Parents have to be enlightened on the wisdom in giving birth to only the number of children they could cater for in terms of feeding, providing quality education and healthcare delivery. With a population of about 230 million and the likelihood of explosion it is going to be challenging on the government to have adequate resources for proper healthcare for the citizens.
There is also the significance of the governments increasing healthcare expenditure per capita which should be in sync with the recommendation of the World Health Organization (WHO). And this is because though there has been an increase in health expenditure in recent years, it has not really translated into improved health outcomes. That is according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The critical areas requiring Improvement to enhance access to quality healthcare services, include provision of much – needed equipment, facilities and recommended drugs and of course, increase in the payment of staff salaries and emoluments in line with internationally accepted standards. This in addition to conducive working environment will stem the tide of the brain drain of our medical professionals to foreign shores. There has to be more funds for infrastructural development, particularly in rural areas for good access roads to the clinics and hospitals for more effective primary healthcare delivery.
More than ever before, this is the best time to make the sector attractive to Nigerian doctors, nurses and other medical personnel so that they can return to take good care of the life-saving sector.
The federal and state governments should collaborate with UNICEF to carry out its functions. For instance, UNICEF provides support for maternal, newborn, and child health, including providing essential medicines, establishing integrated primary health care models, and promoting initiatives like the Child Nutrition Fund. This delivered 3 million bottles of Multiple Micronutrient Supplements in 2024 to improve maternal health. There should be transparency and accountability in the expenditure of funds from foreign donor agencies so that they are channeled to what they are meant for. Besides all that there should be funds set aside for data collation on the ratio of medical personnel to patients, number of medical equipment required for each clinic and hospital across the country. So, enough funds should be provided for the training of nurses, doctors and others relevant to the proper management of our healthcare system because health is wealth.
