SIR: Although Nigeria has a robust national policy for universal health coverage, little progress has been made since the 58th World Health Assembly issued a resolution encouraging countries to transition to Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in 2005. According to basic UHC statistics, Nigeria has the lowest government health financing and the highest out-of-pocket cost in Africa. The goal of UHC is to provide high-quality health care to everyone, regardless of socioeconomic status.
Government spending at the state and local levels is far worse. The entire allocation to the health system has ranged between 1-3% at the state and local government levels over the years. Though spending on public health jumped from 31.4% to 86.3% between 2005 and 2007, only 3.89% of the country’s $495 billion GDP is spent on health. Burkina Faso and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with lower GDP per capita, spend 6.7% and 7.9%, respectively.
Existing commitments, such as the Abuja Declaration, should be honoured. African governments pledged to contribute at least 15% of their annual budgets to the health sector on April 27, 2001. The Abuja Declaration was born out of this pledge. Nigeria’s health financing through budgetary allocations at all levels of government must be increased to ensure that all citizens have access to high-quality health care without facing financial hardship owing to out-of-pocket payments.
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The private sector’s financial involvement is also critical. The Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID) is an example of the private sector playing a pivotal role in achieving UHC. The coalition raised more than $72 million. This fund has been deployed to purchase food relief supplies and medical equipment in various parts of the country.
There is scant evidence that the majority of Nigerians are aware of UHC as there is little pressure on the government to address UHC due to a lack of widespread public support and knowledge. The health of a country is determined by a combination of government and citizens’ variables. Hence, citizens must be prioritised stakeholders to accomplish UHC.
Health care has become increasingly disease-focused, biomedical-oriented, and technology-driven throughout the years. In recent years, there has been a decline in patient interest and viewpoint. WHO guidelines such as equity and fairness in health policies, high-quality care, patients’ safety, patients’ rights, and the need for a people-centred health system must all be implemented.
For Nigeria to fully accomplish UHC and meet the 2030 goal, both public and private sector spending for health care must be raised. In this regard, increasing health budgetary allocation at all levels of government must be prioritised, private sector cooperation must improve, and people-centred health care reinstated as a necessity.
- Nicholas Aderinto,
<nicholasoluwaseyi6@gmail.com>