Nigeria needs drastic reforms to achieve Universal Health Coverage — EXPERTS

Nigeria needs drastic reforms to achieve Universal Health Coverage — EXPERTS

Despite government investments, experts say that the Nigerian health sector needs drastic and significant reforms to get back on track towards achieving Universal Health Coverage, UHC. They also assert that the private sector must actively participate to ensure coverage, and sustainability for national growth, development, and progressive prosperity.

The experts who gathered at the Future of Health Conference with the theme: The Private Sector as a Catalyst for a Resilient Health System” in Lagos, however, agreed that despite the challenges, collaboration with the private sector would guarantee more a resilient system.

The Special Advisor to the President on Health, Dr. Salma Ibrahim Anas, said at the conference, which was well-attended by significant healthcare stakeholders, that the achievement of the health-related Sustainable Development Goals of “health for all” based on UHC, using the continuum-of-care model where no one is left behind is not possible without prioritising and positioning the health sector to be resilient and more responsive to the needs of the people.

Anas who recalled the constitution of the Presidential Health Reform Committee ably chaired by the then Vice President, Prof Osibanjo among other subcommittees to review the health situation in the country looking at policies including the Health Reform Committee report, said the development of the Renewed Hope Health Agenda, was designed in eight thematic areas of intervention towards making the health sector resilient to address the needs of Nigerians.

She stated, “This administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has prioritised engagement of stakeholders especially the private sector to achieve the desired goals for the health sector’s growth and development. With over 70 per cent of private expenditure on health as a share of the total health spending in the country, having strategic and meaningful partnerships and collaborations between the public and private sectors is key towards unlocking the huge potential and improvement of the overall health sector in the country.

“By leveraging on the existing opportunities and possibilities of public-private partnerships, Nigeria can make substantial progress towards achieving UHC, advancing healthcare delivery, improving access, ensuring financial protection and having a resilient health system for all Nigerians. However, this will require crucial reforms that establish clear roles and responsibilities with robust governance frameworks, transparent and accountability mechanisms to ensure the interests of both the public and private stakeholders are safeguarded.”

The Special Adviser explained that the continuous engagements and deliberations of the health sector structure and performance highlighted by the conference were needed to have viable engaging platforms for interaction on how to promote conversations of fruitful partnerships and collaborations.

The Minister of Health, Dr. Ali Pate, observed in his submission that Nigeria was going through an epidemiological transition, with changes in the disease burden as well as an increase in non-communicable illnesses.

According to Pate, who emphasized the need for investments in manufacturing, logistics, and supply chain strategies, “Health investments are important as a driver of growth and prosperity but at the moment there’s a gap between where our health outcomes as a people are and where we should be or we could be given the tremendous resources that we have in human and material resources as a country.”

 He recalled that under the renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu to drive a transformation in Nigeria’s health sector, the 4-point agenda focuses on improving the overall governance of health, bringing stakeholders in a mixed health system that will have public and private actors, civil societies and listening to citizens as well as responding to their needs.

He said the second aspect has to do with things that would improve the population’s health outcomes including; essential services like immunisation, delivery of maternal and child health services or reproductive health among others.

“The third plan is to unlock the value chain of health, from pre-service training, reservice delivery items where the private sector can play an important role in the manufacturing of basic things. Where we are now, 70 to 80 per cent of generics and pharmaceuticals are imported, with a population of more than 200 million.  We have got the market that we can begin to domesticate the production of some of those consumables and basic pharmaceuticals.”

Speaking, the Managing Director of Nigeria Health Watch, Vivianne Ihekweazu, said the reality in Nigeria was that there is a mixed health system, while patients navigate for healthcare between the public and the private sector, this demands better strategic integration between public and private providers.

She said the theme of the conference resonates deeply with the complex dynamics of healthcare delivery in the country. “We recognise the indispensable role of the private sector, not just as a provider of services, but as a catalyst for transformative change. By leveraging the innovation and expertise within the private sector, we need to strengthen our healthcare system, ensuring its resilience in the face of challenges”

age of skilled staff makes it difficult to provide timely and quality cancer care to patients.

Tolulope also explained that the high cost of treatment also needs to be addressed.  In Nigeria, the cost of cancer treatment is often out of reach for many patients, even those with health insurance. This financial barrier prevents many people from seeking cancer treatment, even when it is available.

“Many people in Nigeria are not aware of the signs and symptoms of cancer, or they may have misconceptions about cancer that prevent them from seeking treatment. Some cultural beliefs and practices can make it difficult for people in Nigeria to access cancer care. For example, some people may believe that cancer is a curse or a punishment from God, and they may not seek treatment as a result. Harmonisation of the machine and patient-specific quality assurance procedures across centres, along with data quality harmonisation, is essential. Additionally, harmonising study components in multicentre clinical trials, including patient recruitment and data collection, is crucial for achieving consistency and reliability in clinical research”.

 In his presentation, the President of the Nigerian Medical Students’ Association (NiMSA), Ejim Egba Clement who noted that the sustainable development of Nigeria’s healthcare sector lies largely with private partnerships and collaboration regretted that Nigeria is yet to tap into the full potential and opportunities that can be garnered from expertise, skills and knowledge of Nigerian healthcare professionals in the diaspora.

Egba said PPPs and collaboration hold the key to sustaining the Diaspora Brain Gain in the Nigerian health sector and leveraging the skills and expertise of Nigerians in the diaspora, along with the resources and capabilities of the private sector, can transform the country’s healthcare landscape.

Egba said as Nigeria strives to achieve UHC and address the challenges plaguing its health sector, the synergy between diaspora professionals and private sector entities would play a pivotal role in ensuring a healthier and more prosperous nation.

Speaking, CEO of Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria, PSHAN, Dr. Tinuola Akinbolagbe said the country’s poor performance in healthcare was largely reflected in the country’s current health statistics.

She listed some of the issues plaguing the health sector to include; inequitable Access to Quality Healthcare, difficulty accessing healthcare services, perception of low-quality service among Nigerians, inability to finance healthcare needs Out-of-Pocket (OOP) Inadequate number of healthcare facilities, Migration of healthcare professionals and Insufficient healthcare funding among others.