The Coalition of Concerned Nigerians on Health Reform called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately declare a State of Emergency in Nigeria’s Health Sector.

 

 

Speaking yesterday in Abuja, Coordinator of the group, Comrade Muniretu Isah observed that the crisis confronting our healthcare system has reached a level where ordinary policy measures are no longer sufficient adding that mllions of Nigerians are paying the price through delayed treatment, avoidable deaths, and declining access to quality healthcare.

Isah stated that public hospitals are struggling with obsolete equipment, unreliable electricity, inadequate laboratory services, insufficient hospital beds, and ageing infrastructure while many tertiary hospitals lack modern diagnostic tools, while numerous primary healthcare centres remain either poorly equipped or completely non-functional.

 

 

He lamented that the cost of medicines has continued to rise due to inflation, exchange-rate pressures, and heavy dependence on imported pharmaceutical adding that many patients can no longer afford treatment for chronic illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes, cancer, kidney disease and heart conditions.

 

Isah observed that for a nation of over 220 million people, Nigeria has only about 55,000 licensed doctors available to serve its population as stated At the Ordinary General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the Association of Resident Doctors.

He said, ,”The result is a dangerously overstretched workforce, with doctors and other healthcare professionals attending to overwhelming numbers of patients under extremely difficult conditions. Those who remain in the country continue to leave in significant numbers for better opportunities abroad, leaving hospitals increasingly understaffed and vulnerable”.

 

 

Isa noted that this alarming shortage has placed enormous pressure on the nation’s health facilities adding that patients now spend long hours waiting for consultations, emergency cases are delayed, and specialist services have become inaccessible to many Nigerians.

He stated that the situation is even worse in rural communities where countless primary healthcare centres operate without adequate personnel, medicines, or essential equipment adding that this crisis is worsened by the recurring threat of industrial action by resident doctors and other health workers.

 

 

According to him, each strike pushes an already fragile health system closer to collapse, leaving millions of Nigerians uncertain about where they will receive life-saving treatment.

 

 

Isah further noted that the continued exodus of healthcare professionals has become one of the greatest threats to national development adding that every doctor, nurse, pharmacist or laboratory scientist who leaves Nigeria weakens the country’s ability to provide quality healthcare.

 

 

He said , “The nation is effectively financing the training of professionals whose expertise ultimately benefits other countries. These realities demand urgent presidential intervention.

We therefore call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to declare a State of Emergency in Nigeria’s Health Sector”.

 

 

Isah urged the President to immediately implement a coordinated national recovery programme that includes emergency recruitment and retention of healthcare workers, competitive remuneration and improved welfare packages, full implementation of agreements reached with health sector unions, massive investment in public hospitals and primary healthcare centres, modernisation of medical equipment and diagnostic facilities and expansion of residency training and specialist medical education.

 

 

He also called on the President to strengthen local pharmaceutical and medical equipment manufacturing, increase healthcare funding with clear accountability and measurable targets, expand health insurance coverage to reduce out-of-pocket spending and come up with a comprehensive strategy to reverse the brain drain and encourage Nigerian health professionals abroad to return home.

 

 

“Healthcare is not a privilege it is a constitutional and moral obligation of government. A nation cannot build a productive economy, attract investment, or secure its future while its hospitals struggle to provide basic services. The warning signs are unmistakable. The healthcare workforce is shrinking. Public hospitals are overstretched. Patients are bearing the burden. Confidence in the system continues to decline. The time for incremental reforms has passed. The time for decisive action is now”, he added.