Nearly half of Nigerian households manage long-term health conditions, while more than half of respondents have faced financial strain or gone without treatment because of healthcare costs, a new report by Gatefield has found.

The findings were presented by Adewunmi Emoruwa, lead strategist at Gatefield, at the opening of the Gatefield Health Summit 2026 in Abuja on Wednesday.

The pilot survey covered 1,070 adults in Lagos, Kano and the Federal Capital Territory. It examined the effects of healthcare costs, chronic illnesses, environmental hazards and public service failures on health and life expectancy.

According to the report, 49% of households surveyed had to manage long-term health conditions, while one in eight young adults aged 18 to 35 lived with a chronic illness.

It also found that 52%  of respondents had experienced financial strain or gone without treatment because of healthcare costs.

To pay for care, 27% borrowed money, 25% relied on family support, 14% cut spending on food and other necessities, while 13% sold personal assets.

The report also highlighted difficulties in accessing public health services. It found that one in three respondents had missed a public health service they needed in the previous year, including vaccination, screening or essential medication.

It added that 75% of respondents had experienced or witnessed corruption while accessing public services during the same period.

Speaking at the summit, Emoruwa said barriers to healthcare extended beyond medical facilities and treatment.

“A sick body is only half the tragedy. When you reach out for help, you realise the barrier isn’t just medical. It is systemic. Politics is cutting our lives short,” he said.

The report also identified environmental hazards as a concern for people living with long-term illnesses. It found that 69.7%  of respondents identified extreme heat as a threat, while 54% cited air pollution.

People living with conditions such as asthma, hypertension and cardiovascular disease may face additional health risks from exposure to extreme heat and polluted air, the report said.

The findings were discussed at the summit, which brought together policymakers, health experts and innovators to examine ways to improve healthcare delivery and expand effective interventions.

Dr Salma Ibrahim Anas, senior special assistant to the President on health, said Nigeria needed sustainable domestic financing and legislative support to strengthen its health system.

“There are health interventions that have been invented that are truly effective. It is counterproductive when these solutions don’t reach the people they are supposed to start with,” she said.

She added that the government was committed to expanding existing solutions and working with development partners to improve healthcare.

Siddhartha Prakash, global health lead at the World Intellectual Property Organisation, called for the development of artificial intelligence systems that reflect the needs of African populations.

He said many existing healthcare AI systems relied on foreign training models that might not adequately represent local realities.

Other discussions focused on food systems and disease prevention, with stakeholders urging policymakers to treat nutrition and primary healthcare as connected parts of public health planning.

Kofoworola Odozi, editor at wearegst, also called on the media to hold companies accountable for practices that threaten public health.