65 Years After Independence, Nigeria’s Health System Still Struggling — Lagos NMA

Sixty-five years after Nigeria’s independence, the country’s health system remains under strain, unable to deliver equitable and quality care, according to the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Lagos State Branch.

Speaking on the state of healthcare, the branch chairman, Dr. Sahedd Babajide, said decades of reforms and investments have failed to address systemic weaknesses. He noted that persistent issues such as poor financing, infrastructural gaps, and brain drain — popularly known as the “Japa syndrome” — continue to cripple the sector.

“Adequate remuneration, non-taxable call duty allowances, robust welfare packages, training, research, and infrastructural development are crucial if we are to reverse the brain drain and create a conducive environment for medical personnel,” Babajide stressed.

He lamented that both federal and state governments allocate only 4–6% of their budgets to healthcare, far below the 15% commitment made in the 2001 Abuja Declaration. According to him, much of the available funding is misdirected into “elephant projects” with little impact on the masses.

Babajide also highlighted the neglect of primary healthcare, warning that weak primary systems undermine both secondary and tertiary care. Poor facilities, structural deficiencies, and inadequate equipment, he said, have created an environment unfavorable for both healthcare workers and patients.

On Nigeria’s emergency preparedness, Babajide said the country remains ill-equipped for epidemics and disasters. He also decried the continued drain of resources through medical tourism, attributing it to the lack of political will to strengthen domestic healthcare.

The NMA chairman outlined key reforms needed:

• Standardisation of primary, secondary, and tertiary healthcare systems
• Proper financing, transparent procurement, and efficient management of health budgets
• Clear career progression for medical professionals and competent leadership in institutions
• Construction of Infectious Disease Hospitals and Trauma Centres in each state and the FCT
• Development of multi-specialty hospitals for pediatrics, renal, cardiac, cancer, and neurosurgery care
• Strengthening the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to expand access and improve service quality

Focusing on Lagos, Babajide called for the reinstatement of pre-April 2025 salary scales, improved remuneration for health workers, implementation of non-taxable call duty allowances, and expansion of primary healthcare centres with adequate staffing. He urged the government to address bed shortages, improve referral systems, and build more general hospitals in areas including Ojo, Alimosho, Epe, Ajah, Ikorodu, and Oshodi.

He further recommended reviewing the Lagos State Health Sector Reform Law (2006) and convening a Lagos State Health Summit to address systemic issues collaboratively.

Concluding, Babajide declared: “If we want the health system to work effectively and efficiently in this great country, necessary reforms must be taken seriously, backed by political will and commitment.”

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