Nigeria’s health indices stay concerning/stubbornly poor. Life expectancy stands at 54 years, one of the lowest in the world, while the latest maternal mortality rate of 576 per 100,000 live births is the fourth highest globally. Non-communicable diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes, cancer, and malnutrition, caused nearly a third of all deaths in the country at the last count.
Many challenges underpin these statistics, including:
- The three tiers of government are dedicating too low a share of their budgets to the health sector, resulting in out-of-pocket expenses for patients,
- The small fraction of primary health care centers nationwide that are functional aren’t visited much,
- Healthcare professionals are migrating in high numbers,
- Few Nigerians have health insurance.
Another government, another reform
Nigeria’s newly elected federal government has pledged to revive the health sector, introducing the National Health Sector Renewal Initiative Program late last year.
On paper, it contains all the right ingredients to turn around Nigeria’s poor health indices. For example, the program provides for increased investment and allocation of funds to the sector, increasing research, and ramping up the local production of health products to improve health security through a Healthcare Industrialisation Program.
It also provides for a Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF) to enhance access to essential health services and advance Nigeria’s progress in achieving Universal Health Coverage. In addition to the Program, the federal and state governments signed a Health Renewal Compact.
But many rightly ask: What makes this reform different from previous attempts?
The missing link
In our view, the federal government’s renewed attention presents an opportunity for positive change in the health sector.
This will require a galvanizing of resources, including financial and technical resources, by everyone involved. Financial resources include a budget that meets Nigeria’s commitments to the 2001 Abuja Declaration (15% of the national budget dedicated “to improve the health sector”, compared to about 5% in Nigeria’s latest one) and releasing funds for the BHCPF.