Health Sector: 66 SIXTY-SIX YEARS WITHOUT A UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE BREAKTHROUGH

By Zainab Abdullahi (Health Correspondent)

Nigeria has produced important health programmes and institutions, including primary healthcare initiatives, immunisation campaigns, teaching hospitals, the National Health Insurance system and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency.
There have also been significant successes in combating infectious diseases and expanding maternal and child-health programmes.

But the overall picture remains inadequate. The World Health Organization (WHO) notes that Nigeria's enormous population, high disease burden, fertility rate and poverty place exceptional pressure on the health system. Life expectancy remains around 55 years according to current World Bank data.

The fundamental problem is that healthcare remains too dependent on households paying directly when they become sick.
Nigeria needs to make primary healthcare the foundation of the system. Every community should have functioning basic healthcare, maternal services, essential drugs, trained personnel, referral systems, clean water and emergency transport.
The country must also invest heavily in preventive medicine.

A child who receives proper nutrition, vaccination, sanitation, education and early healthcare is a future productivity asset. NNL.