The Nigerian government on Monday held its first quarterly dialogue on the performance of the health sector across the country in recent months.
The dialogue, according to Coordinating Minister for Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, was between federal authorities and sub-national governments and key stakeholders in the health sector.
Mr. Pate, in a statement shared on X, said the dialogue was organized as part of the nation's commitment to revamp the health system using the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative and the Sector-Wide Approach, supported by the National Health Act of 2014.
“This marks a bold and hopeful step towards transforming our health system through the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative and the Sector-Wide Approach, emphasizing the cooperative federalism mandated by the National Health Act of 2014,” he said.
Collaboration
Mr. Pate reiterated that the aim of the dialogue is to promote collaboration and equitable sharing of responsibilities among health workers and providers at the national and subnational levels of government together with the private sector and development partners.
He added that the quarterly dialogue further reaffirms the government’s “unwavering commitment to improving population health outcomes for all Nigerians.”
To achieve the intended result, he said the Ministry of Health has chosen to prioritize improving Penta 3 immunization coverage for children and simultaneously reduce the population of unimmunized children.
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Mr Pate also noted that the government is deploying all available tools to reduce the maternal mortality rate and improve safe births, prenatal care, skilled workers and health insurance.
“We are focused on improving Penta 3 coverage, increasing the proportion of fully immunized children, reducing the number of children requiring zero doses, increasing the proportion of births attended by skilled birth attendants, improving antenatal care coverage and increasing access to health insurance and primary health care services,” she said.
The minister added that the administration of President Bola Tinubu is committed to monitoring the rates of utilization of various services and the satisfaction of the people in the country. “We encourage states to monitor their progress against these indicators.”
He said: “We are grateful for the strong support of our development partners, who ensure that resources are directed to priority areas that will significantly improve health outcomes for our citizens.
“This is not just about cooperation, but about accountability and collective progress. We have agreed to hold each other accountable, learn together and work together through dialogue and regular performance reviews.”
Nigeria's health crisis
Given the numerous challenges affecting the health sector, dialogue aimed at enhancing collaborative efforts between national and subnational governments and other key stakeholders in the health sector is imperative.
The health system faces numerous challenges that affect the quality and accessibility of healthcare. Recently, the World Bank, in its Report on Public Expenditure on Human Capital and Institutions, ranked Nigeria’s health budget as the lowest in the world.
According to the study, “Nigeria ranks among the lowest in Africa in terms of universal health coverage. With a score of 44, Nigeria’s universal health coverage (UHC) index has improved slightly over time, but remains among the lowest in the African region.”
According to the organisation, such a high dependence on out-of-pocket payments has adverse effects on the health system and the population, which must bear the financial burden that this places on households.
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“On average, health-related expenses push more than one million Nigerians into poverty every year.”
The World Bank report notes that most public spending is concentrated on secondary and tertiary health care, at the expense of primary and basic health services.
The country's health system is also characterized by poor health indices. The country has one of the highest maternal and infant mortality rates in the world, with many women dying from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth.
Furthermore, a significant number of children do not survive their first five years of life. In 2022, Nigeria was ranked as the country with the highest prevalence of malaria among 29 countries, collectively accounting for 95 percent of the global burden.