A vote for your health

Every election year conjures up hope that elected officials will make important decisions and create policies that may bring about positive change for all, especially when it comes to healthcare. The future of healthcare in Nigeria is undoubtedly at a critical crossroads, and the triad of looming problems including access to care, affordability of care and quality care are yet to be adequately addressed to date.

It is no secret that the state of health affairs in Nigeria requires an urgent and drastic makeover to sustain the health and vitality of the nation as a whole. In order to improve health outcomes in Nigeria, strong governmental leadership and accountability remain crucial and integral components required to reshaping the overall landscape of healthcare in the country. Nonetheless, the specific health areas of focus in need of critical transformation and remodelling are as follows:

(Primary care/Preventive health services: More attention must be given to preventive health and primary care in Nigeria. Ongoing preventive health practices ultimately save lives. What do primary care and prevention look like? This means that individuals have access to yearly health maintenance check-ups with a qualified doctor during which they are routinely screened for certain health conditions. Health services offered include screening for conditions like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, HIV, tuberculosis, and even mental health problems like depression. Routine age-appropriate screening for certain cancers like breast and colon cancer must also be provided. Additionally, public health efforts to increase access to childhood vaccinations are an important part of the equation to help reduce the risk of mortality from diseases that are preventable with immunization coverage. A solid focus on primary care and health screening in the country facilitates earlier detection and treatment of chronic disease.

Maternal and neonatal mortality outcomes: Maternal and neonatal mortality rates remain high in Nigeria. A few of the life-threatening health problems facing expectant mothers include conditions like eclampsia, severe haemorrhage, and infection. Complications such as sepsis, respiratory illness, and premature birth also pose a great threat to neonates. Preventive and prenatal health services must be readily available to pregnant women and access to skilled and qualified health care professionals is simply mandatory to help improve maternal and neonatal health outcomes. Lack of access to care sometimes drives women to seek out traditional healers for delivery, who may actually sometimes pose a greater health risk to both mother and baby due to unsanitary procedures. Nonetheless, safe delivery practices and obstetrical care must be strengthened in the country and all women must continue to be educated on safe pregnancy and birthing practices.

Emergency disease outbreaks: What history has taught us when it comes to infectious disease outbreaks is that it’s really not a matter of if an outbreak will happen, but more so when the next outbreak will strike again. Due to the sudden and unanticipated nature of these outbreaks, emergency resources and response teams must be readily available at any given moment.

Lassa fever, for example, is the latest outbreak impacting Nigeria. The viral disease is transmitted typically via rats and the treatment when the disease is identified early enough involves antiviral drugs like Ribavirin, in addition to supportive care. Treatment may be quite expensive, but if the antiviral treatment is unattainable for confirmed cases throughout the country that translates into potentially higher death tolls. Furthermore, access to treatment and strong infection control strategies are crucial for public health officials to thwart the spread of the disease. Public education about effective hygiene practices promoting prevention is also equally important.

Malaria: The malaria crisis in Nigeria remains a major threat to the lives of many Nigerians. Despite various national campaigns and initiatives to control the spread of malaria, the mortality rates from the disease are still high. One major hurdle that exists in the fight against malaria is that some malaria parasites have developed resistance to some of the available medications available on the market. Therefore, the country needs to invest more funding for research and development of novel and effective drug therapy.

HIV: The stigma and discrimination surrounding HIV positive individuals in Nigeria is one of the many reasons one may even neglect checking their HIV status. The HIV epidemic is still a major problem in the country; Routine screening for the disease must become an essential component of health checkups and antiretroviral treatment programs must be more accessible and affordable to those affected by the disease.

These are just a few of the public health concerns that deeply burden Nigeria. Although the challenges may seem quite daunting and insurmountable fixing a broken healthcare system surely will not happen overnight. A government administration with a dedication to improving health policy, increasing funding in the health sector and making access to quality care a reality for all is an initial step in the right direction. The future of healthcare in Nigeria need not be dark and gloomy. An important decision awaits you; namely, voting for leadership that can best help rehabilitate the status of health affairs in the country.