Achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) requires a collaborative effort between all stakeholders in the healthcare value chain, including the government and industry players. This collaboration fosters trust and confidence among both payers and end users.
Healthcare must be democratised—available, accessible, and affordable across all regions, from urban centres to rural communities. Primary healthcare centres (PHCs) are intended to be the first point of contact within the national health system. It’s alarming that healthcare spending constitutes approximately 60 percent of household expenses, a figure that’s even higher in rural areas. This should prompt concern among all stakeholders. Despite repeated calls for government action, many PHCs remain underdeveloped. A healthy population is a productive one, yet only 20 percent of the 30,000 PHCs in Nigeria are operational, and even those are not fully functional. This underscores the urgent need for the government to prioritise healthcare transformation.
Fully functional PHCs nationwide would alleviate pressure on secondary and tertiary hospitals, allowing them to focus on more advanced care. Integrating AI into consultation, diagnosis, and dispensing at optimised PHCs could significantly enhance healthcare delivery and patient outcomes.
Currently, over 90 percent of Nigerians pay out-of-pocket for healthcare that often falls short of acceptable standards. Substantial investment in healthcare infrastructure and policy enforcement is essential for achieving UHC. The government must strengthen institutions and demonstrate a strong commitment to healthcare beyond mere rhetoric. All stakeholders must work together, understanding their strategic roles, to achieve a healthier population and workforce. Reducing out-of-pocket expenses for healthcare to the lowest minimum is critical.
However, the government cannot expect private sector investment without first building confidence in the system. With only 4.6 percent of the national budget allocated to healthcare—spread across the supervising ministry, government hospitals, and other agencies—the government has shown limited commitment to the health of its citizens. Recent progress in the sector is largely due to long-term investments in infrastructure and personnel by the private sector. These investments have not only improved access to healthcare but also reduced medical tourism, ensuring that advanced medical procedures are increasingly available in Nigeria, performed by well-trained and compassionate specialists.
The positive outcomes from these investments, along with efforts to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse, have helped build trust among payers and end-users, who now have greater confidence in the quality of healthcare services.
Further investments are needed in imaging and diagnostics, emergency services, telemedicine, wearables, drug manufacturing, and distribution. Local drug manufacturing, in particular, can reduce the cost of drugs and medical consumables. Easing access to foreign exchange will support local manufacturing and importation to meet the demand for these products.
Telemedicine has proven to improve patient outcomes, with virtual consultations for primary healthcare cases reducing waiting times and making healthcare more accessible.
The government has a responsibility to encourage public-private partnerships. While the government provides an enabling environment and incentives, the private sector must contribute resources for infrastructure and human capacity development necessary to achieve UHC. Strong partnerships, rather than competition, are crucial to achieving UHC, which should be seen as more than just a political slogan but a national imperative.
Ajibola Bakare; Transforming Global Healthcare Access and Systems with Agile Practices.
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