Coalition Demands State Of Emergency In Health Sector

The coalition of concerned Nigerians on Health Reform has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in the nation’s health sector, citing worsening shortages of healthcare workers, deteriorating hospital infrastructure, and rising patient deaths.

In a statement read by the Coordinator of the coalition, Muniretu Isah, titled “Enough Is Enough: Declare a State of Emergency in Nigeria’s Health Sector No”, at a press briefing on Thursday in Abuja, the coalition said:” We have lost confidence in Prof Muhammad Ali Pate, as the Coordinating Minister of Health.”

The coalition alleged that Prof. Pate had failed to meet public expectations in addressing the challenges confronting the health sector.

The group said the country’s health system is under severe strain, noting that despite a population of over 220 million, it has only about 55,000 licensed doctors to meet its healthcare needs.

It said the shortage has resulted in an overstretched workforce, long patient waiting times, delays in emergency care, and limited access to specialist services, particularly in rural communities where many primary healthcare centres lack personnel, medicines, and essential equipment.

The coalition expressed concern over the continued migration of doctors and other health professionals abroad in search of better opportunities, warning that the trend was weakening Nigeria’s capacity to provide quality healthcare.

It also linked recurring industrial disputes by resident doctors and other health workers to unresolved issues, including poor remuneration, unpaid allowances, delays in salary payments, inadequate recruitment, poor working conditions, obsolete equipment, insufficient funding for residency training, and the government’s failure to implement previous agreements with health unions.

According to the statement, repeated strikes and threats of industrial action continue to push the country’s fragile healthcare system closer to collapse, leaving millions of Nigerians uncertain about accessing life-saving treatment.

The coalition further lamented the poor state of public hospitals, citing obsolete medical equipment, inadequate laboratory services, unreliable electricity supply, shortage of hospital beds and ageing infrastructure.

It also criticised inadequate healthcare financing, noting that Nigeria spends far below the target set by the Abuja Declaration, forcing millions of citizens to pay out of pocket for healthcare.

The group said rising inflation, exchange rate volatility and dependence on imported pharmaceuticals had driven up the cost of medicines, making treatment unaffordable for many patients living with chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, cancer, kidney disease and heart conditions.

It added that Nigeria continues to record high maternal and child mortality rates while preventable diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis and cholera remain major public health threats.

The coalition urged President Tinubu to launch a comprehensive recovery programme for the health sector, including emergency recruitment and retention of healthcare workers, improved remuneration, implementation of agreements with health unions, increased investment in hospitals and primary healthcare centres, expansion of residency training, strengthening of local pharmaceutical manufacturing, increased health sector funding and wider health insurance coverage.

It also called for strategies to reverse the brain drain by encouraging Nigerian healthcare professionals working abroad to return home.