Need to Restructure, Transform the Nigerian Health System Ifeanyi Nsofor a/aRecently, Vice President Professor Yemi Osinbajo underwent a surgical procedure for recurrent leg pain at Duchess International
press releaseOne can imagine that the hospital pulled all the stops to provide quality healthcare to Osinbajo. In all the accolades surrounding Osinbajo’s surgery, we must remember that the quality of care the hospital provides, which gave Osinbajo the confidence to go there for care, should be the norm and not the exception. All Nigerians irrespective of social class deserve such care, but too often they do not.
Nigerians should know that when the primary health center in a village lacks vaccines for immunizing our children, it is a failure of leadership at local government areas and the state. We must hold those two levels of governments responsible.
Second, healthcare is incomplete without providing social determinants of health. The World Health Organization definesas the non-medical factors that influence health outcomes. These factors and systems include economic policies and systems, development agendas, social norms, social policies and political systems. Therefore, restructuring Nigeria’s healthcare system must consider these factors. For instance, it is impossible to provide quality healthcare without constant electricity.
Third, we must restructure health financing in Nigeria. The current situation with high out-of-pocket expenditure is unsustainable, inequitable and pushes Nigerians into poverty. Indeed, healthcare budgets by federal, state and local councils in Nigeria cannot provide the healthcare that a nation of more than 200 million need. About of Nigeria’s estimated $10 billion annual total health expenditure is out-of-pocket. Nigerians pay for healthcare at the point of need.
Fourth, the government alone cannot provide the healthcare Nigerians require. The private sector is an important but often overlooked stakeholder in healthcare delivery in Nigeria. Duchess International Hospital which treated Osinbajo, is a private hospital. Governments in Nigeria can learn or even partner with such hospitals to restructure healthcare delivery. This is why public-private partnerships for healthcare are imperative. There are examples where this has worked.
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