Because the world marks the 2025 World Well being Day, well being consultants in Nigeria say the nation’s struggling well being system presents little hope for moms and newborns.
The consultants spoke with the Information Company of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja.
They expressed concern that persistent gaps within the nation’s main healthcare (PHC) supply, poor infrastructure, and rising medical tourism undermined any actual progress towards ending preventable maternal and new child deaths.
The World Well being Day is marked yearly on 7 April. This yr’s marketing campaign focuses on enhancing maternal and new child well being and survival with the theme, “Wholesome beginnings, hopeful futures”.
Mustafa Lawal, a virologist, mentioned that whereas the theme is apt, it exposes Nigeria’s systemic failures.
Mr Lawal decried the rising fee of medical tourism amongst Nigerians, particularly authorities officers, saying it displays insecurity within the well being system.
“How can we discuss of hopeful futures when our PHCs are poorly geared up, underfunded, and understaffed?” he mentioned.
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He lamented that many rural girls nonetheless give start in unsafe situations.
“High officers search remedy overseas whereas the typical Nigerian can not entry fundamental care. This double normal is harmful for nationwide well being safety,” he mentioned.
Citing a 2024 report by the Nigerian Medical Affiliation, Mr Lawal mentioned that over 40,000 Nigerians traveled overseas for medical care final yr, costing the nation over one billion {dollars}.
Whereas the federal authorities has pledged to construct and renovate 1000’s of PHCs underneath the Primary Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF), consultants mentioned high quality ought to take priority over numbers.
Zainab Yusuf, a household doctor, emphasised the necessity to strengthen present PHCs earlier than increasing infrastructure.
“We’ve got PHCs with out water, electrical energy, or expert start attendants. Constructing extra with out fixing the prevailing ones is like pouring water right into a basket,” she mentioned.
Based on Yusuf, lowering maternal and new child deaths begins with coaching midwives, enhancing PHC providers, and making certain entry to important medicine and provides.
She mentioned that the 2025 World Well being Day theme underscored the significance of equitable entry to high quality healthcare providers, no matter socioeconomic standing, gender or location.
Maimuna Abdullahi, a Well being Economist, and Monitoring and Analysis Specialist with the African Well being Finances Community (AHBN), additionally emphasised the necessity for built-in healthcare methods that serve each rural and concrete underserved populations.
“Regardless of initiatives just like the BHCPF and the Well being Financing Coverage, main limitations to reaching common well being protection nonetheless persist,” she mentioned.
The Chairman, Nationwide Well being Insurance coverage Authority (NHIA), Ibrahim Oloriegbe, mentioned the COVID-19 pandemic revealed important gaps within the nation’s healthcare preparedness and response.
Mr Oloriegbe famous that with out common well being protection, thousands and thousands would proceed to face preventable diseases and untimely demise.
“Equal entry to healthcare will not be a luxurious, it’s a necessity,” he mentioned.
He mentioned that whereas Nigeria continues to grapple with funding challenges, poor insurance coverage protection and insufficient services, native organisations are making a distinction on the grassroots degree.
The founding father of the Lafiya Wealth Initiative, Mohammed Usman, careworn the function of community-led advocacy in pushing for inclusive well being insurance policies.
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Based on Usman, neighborhood mobilisation has helped to make sure that marginalised teams usually are not disregarded within the dialog on well being fairness.
He mentioned that the World Well being Day ought to function a wake-up name for presidency and stakeholders to behave past guarantees and translate commitments into coverage, budgeting and political will.
“Attaining well being for all is not only a shared imaginative and prescient, it’s an pressing accountability,”he mentioned.
“It requires collaboration throughout all ranges of presidency, civil society, the non-public sector, and worldwide companions.”
As Nigeria joins the worldwide neighborhood in observing World Well being Day, the message from consultants, advocates, and stakeholders is obvious: investing in maternal and new child well being should transcend rhetoric.
It have to be seen in actions that enhance services, practice personnel, and make healthcare accessible to each Nigerian.
(NAN)
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