‘How poor funding, skills, others gap undermine healthcare in Nigeria’

Cheluchi Onyemelukwe-Onuobia, professor and expert in health law at Babcock University in Ogun State, has said that inadequate funding, skills gap and the unavailability of the requisite infrastructure are undermining health care delivery across Nigeria.

The award-winning author, who delivered 52 Inaugural Lecture of Babcock University, pointed out that the health sector in Nigeria was struggling and required intervention through adequate funding in ensuring quality healthcare services for all citizens.

Speaking on the theme of 52 Inaugural Lecture, “The Law As Compass, Lever, Or Stumbling Block? Harnessing The Power Of Law To Reify And Realise The Right To Health”, Onyemelukwe-Onuobia called on the Nigerian Government to prioritise budgetary allocations for health, stressing that without proper funding, legal provisions and policies remain ineffective.

The professor noted the Abuja Declaration of 2001 in which Member Countries of African Union, including Nigeria, pledged to allocate at least 15% of their annual budgets to healthcare. She lamented that more than two decades later, Nigeria is yet to meet this commitment, with healthcare receiving only a fraction of the national budget.

“Nigeria’s healthcare system continues to face severe underfunding, making it difficult for hospitals and clinics to provide essential services, quality care, and life-saving interventions”, she said.

Onyemelukwe-Onuobia highlighted that while Government had made some efforts to increase health funding, the current budget falls short of addressing the country’s vast healthcare needs.

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“The government has taken some steps in recent years, but we must do more,” she urged. “Inflation, the withdrawal of foreign aid, and the increasing burden of disease mean that we must increase our health budget to match the current realities.

“One of the most devastating consequences of inadequate healthcare funding is the high rate of maternal mortality in Nigeria. The country remains one of the most dangerous places for a woman to give birth, with thousands of women dying from preventable complications each year”, she added.

The Professor further lamented “It is an absolute disgrace that Nigeria still records such high maternal mortality rates. A woman should not lose her life simply because she is bringing another life into the world.”

Sheemphasised that Nigeria had strong legal frameworks, such as the National Health Act, which provides for a Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF) to support healthcare services, but due implementation of such laws have been the main problems.

“However, the implementation of these laws remains weak, largely due to insufficient funding and mismanagement of allocated resources.

“The National Health Act was designed to improve healthcare access, particularly for vulnerable populations, but without proper funding, it remains ineffective,” she explained. “We must ensure full implementation by allocating adequate resources and holding officials accountable for how funds are spent”, she added.

She however urged the Government to increase transparency in healthcare spending, ensuring that funds reach primary healthcare centers, maternity wards, and rural clinics where they are needed most.