Overview of Nigeria’s health system
Abstract
This paper focuses on three primary issues. First is an overview and background of Nigeria with a concise outline in the nature of its geography, the idea of the governmental issues, economy and wellbeing in the health sector. It is essential to know, for example, how the medication was sorted out preceding the appearance of present-day medication.
Geography and socio-demographic setup
Nigeria is a nation in West Africa. Nigeria is a country that borders the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger borders them to the north. It also borders the globally unrecognized territory of Ambazonia towards the southeast. It has coasts which lies on the Gulf of Guinea in the south and it outskirts Lake Chad toward the upper east. In the southeast, it additionally shares borders with the breakaway province of Ambazonia. There are various geological features in Nigeria such as the Adamawa highlands, Jos, Obudu and Mambilla Plateaus, the Niger River and the Niger Delta.
Nigeria is located in the Tropics, where the atmosphere is occasionally humid and exceptionally damp. Nigeria has four climate types of these atmosphere types.
When it comes to the understanding of socio-demographic setup Nigeria, Administrative set up of the country, and Socioeconomic situation of the country/citizens is significant to know them because it dramatically impacts our understanding how Nigeria was before the invasion of the colonialists. The impacts of the colonialist’s activities on the change of Nigerian culture and especially the presentation of the profitable entrepreneurial powers will be talked about, with the view to look at changes in the association of social, health and medical sectors. The last issue to be considered in this paper will be the responsibility of the government in the development of the health sector in Nigeria. Accentuation will be first, on the social and financial state of pioneer doctors who originated from England and afterwards how they were identified with the state health
approaches.
1.2
Socioeconomic situation
Economic growth and development upgrade a nation’s capability to improve its socioeconomic conditions. This is on the grounds that economic development, expanding the absolute wealth and resources of a country, gives the assets required to allow continued human development. The interpretation of GDP growth to human
Development might not be guaranteed, yet relies to a great extent upon the level and nature of employment and opportunity creation, just as the pattern in which the government spends and consumes. The UNDP as indicated in the 1991 Human Development Report proposed that the ideal approach to guarantee a connection between economic, financial growth and human prosperity is to ensure that development is
Work is escalated, employments created in this manner, expanding earning opportunities and by appropriately coordinating the spending of public resources towards human need needs.
Nigeria represents about a significant portion of West Africa’s populace, with roughly 202 million individuals and probably the biggest populace of youth on the planet. Nigeria is a multi-ethnic and socially diverse country which comprises of 36 ethnic states. With many natural resources, it is Africa’s greatest oil exporter and has the most significant flammable natural gas reserves on planet earth.
In 2019, Nigeria held its elections for the 6th time since its independence. The current president being president, Muhammad Buhari, won the elections and was confirmed for a subsequent second term on May 29, 2019. He has recognized as a president who tries to fight corruption, insecurity, diversifying the economy, creating job opportunity in order to end unemployment, creating awareness on climate enhancement and boosting the livelihood of the Nigerians.
Nigeria’s economic vision plan places the socioeconomic growth of Nigerians at the front of the plan. It is with no doubt that there is a big gap between the country’s economy and the rate of human development.
One of the goals of their economic Vision is to make an interpretation of their economic development into fair social enhancements in the betterment of its citizens. In view of this goal, the Vision means to eradicate poverty, fight hunger and improve access to quality medical services, give reasonable access to consumable water and essential sanitation as encouraged by the United Nations and promote women empowerment.
Oil value instability keeps on impacting Nigeria’s growth performance at it is their major export. In the year 2000 and 2014, Nigeria’s total (GDP) developed at an average rate of 7% every year. Following the oil value and price reduction in 2014-2016, its (GDP) development rate dropped to 2.7% in 2015. In 2016 during its first recession in quite a while, the economy shrunk by 1.6%.
Since 2015, its economic growth has remained redundant. Its average growth value was 1.9% in 2018 and stayed stable at 2% in the better part of 2019. The high domestic demands are still primarily affected by high inflation. In 2019 their production growth was majorly determined by the administration of services, especially telecoms. However, their agricultural development stays beneath potential because of progressing ranch clashes and insurgency seen in the northeast part of Nigeria. Its industrial performance is just there.
Nigeria Health System
Since its independence, Nigeria has had an extremely constrained extent of lawful inclusion in social protection. Over 90% of the Nigerian population live without medical insurance coverage. The Nigerian health system has been developing throughout the years through healthcare service reforms meaning to address the general public health challenges affecting it.
Since its independence, Nigeria has had an extremely constrained extent of lawful inclusion in social protection. Over 90% of the Nigerian population live without medical insurance coverage. The Nigerian health system has been developing throughout the years through healthcare service reforms meaning to address the general public health challenges affecting it.
Various healthcare reforms have been put in place to help solve the crisis; these include:
National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS),
National Immunization Coverage Scheme (NICS),
Midwives Service Scheme (MSS)
Nigerian Pay for Performance scheme (P4P).
All things considered, the powerlessness to successfully address the nation’s various healthcare challenges has primarily contributed to the heightened poverty levels and the shortcoming of the health systems. Political instability, a weak economy and corruption are the primary considerations answerable for the helpless development state of health care administrations in Nigeria. It is the people in Nigeria that bear the weight of a dysfunctional and biased healthcare system.
Health infrastructure and Service Delivery/ Government spending on health as
Percentage of government spending
Nigeria is perhaps one of the most significant supplies of human resource for health (HRH) in Africa however it still struggles in terms of quality medical service delivery from the doctors, nurses, midwives and other healthcare workers. Nigeria has several hospitals throughout its states. These hospitals include, just to mention but a few, Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital
University of Benin Teaching Hospital
University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital
University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital
University College Hospital, Ibadan
Ahmadiyya Hospital Newbussa
Federal Health Medical Center (FHMC)
National Hospital, Abuja
In Nigeria, the health workforce id more concentrated in urban areas, thus leaving the people in rural areas with less privilege’s in accessing medical care. Especially in Lagos, where the healthcare workforce is concentrated.
When it comes to service delivery, The NHIS was relied upon to give social and financial risk assurance by decreasing the expense of healthcare services and giving equal access to basic healthcare service. The most affected population in Nigeria health-wise incorporate the children, expectant mothers, pregnant ladies, the elderly, individuals living with disabilities, older, the unemployed, those living with various diseases and the retirees.
Despite the fact that at some point, these affected group of people benefit from free healthcare services, they, to a great extent, need to pay for medicinal services administrations. Free healthcare insurance administrations and exclusion systems are frequently politically spurred but so poorly executed, at times they do not even to materialize. For example, some states in Nigeria, such as Osun, Lagos, Niger, Kano, Ekiti, Ondo, Enugu, Kaduna, and Jigawa are known to have been offering free medical care. Free medical care administrations and exception are relied upon to give the vulnerable in the society the privilege of accessing medical care.
Structure of Public Health Facilities.
There are three levels of health care structure in Nigeria, and the type of government system influences this. Nigeria is the Federal Republic with 36 states in addition to Capital Territory. You would already be able to figure out that the federal structure of the country influences Nigerian healthcare services delivery. These structures include the Federal Government, state and the locals.
The central government has an obligation to organize all the tertiary healthcare service administrations. In the meantime, the state government gives auxiliary healthcare service administrations, and the local government takes care of essential healthcare administrations. Additionally, we need to specify that there is a different branch in Nigeria healthcare service framework, which is the private sector. It offers private types of medical assistance with the help of authorized providers.
In Nigeria, the government takes the management role of the Federal Ministry of Health. State Ministry of Health deals with the activities of essential auxiliary medical administration services and state-owned general hospitals, clinics, nursing homes and health centres. They also employ and compensate government healthcare workers. All these sectors are financed by public funds from taxes, funding from donors and insurances.
Indicators for Nigeria health status and Health System Performance
In comprehending the impact of health systems, the various scope can be used as indicators that enable us to understand the degree of the healthcare sector performance. Quality healthcare can be measured by the mortality rate, the adequacy and effectiveness of healthcare strategy by preventable mortality), and their mix (avoidable mortality and also limiting hospital admissions.
Child mortality rate, in spite of recognizing pregnant ladies and kids under five years as the primary beneficiary of free medical services in some Nigerian states. Under-five death rates in the previous year ran between 100-150 for every 1000 live births, this only means Nigeria still experiences a high rate of mortality. This is an indicator of poor health services.
Maternal mortality
The maternal mortality ratio for Nigeria remains very high at about eight hundred for every 100000 live births as indicated by 2016 World Health Statistics Across the nation, and you find that some hospitals still charge pregnant ladies and kids under five years for them to access health services despite the governments’ declaration of free healthcare administration for pregnant ladies and kids under five.
Human Resources for Health
human resource for health includes the workforce and all people committed to upgrading the health sector without them; the clinical and general healthcare service administrations cannot be conveyed to the population.
The Nigerian health system is generally weak. Several healthcare workers tend to strike due to unpaid salaries; this generally demoralizes them from offering their services to patients. Poor government assistance, absence quality health facilities lead to such a crisis in the human resource sector. Also, poor administration and response reaction across various sectors of government have assumed to more lamentation amongst the health workers. Such problems have, therefore forestalled ideal healthcare services delivery to the Nigerians.
Therefore the national health government sector needs a strong authoritative approach that permits coordination of needs and organizations in the medical workforce and among different partners.
Health Financing
Healthcare financing is the mobilization of assets for medicinal services administrations. As such, it is the provision funds, cash, assets or any other resources by the activities of the government or private sectors to maintain its citizen’s wellbeing in terms of health matters. These activities incorporate the provision of clinical and related medical services projected towards maintaining good health, particularly in preventing and curing diseases.
These sources of financing health care sector include taxes, family unit expenditure, donor funds, community-based expenditure, medical insurance coverage, grants, loans from agencies such as World Bank, an organization such as WHO, foundations and many more.
In Nigeria, the health sector is financed through various sources and systems. The only difference in the proportionate commitment from these expressed sources decide the degree to which the health sector will go in accomplishing effective medical services financing systems. Unfortunately, in Nigeria, getting these sources is still a challenge.