9.0. CURRENT SOCIO-CULTURAL HEALTH PROBLEMS IN NIGERIA

9.1. Present Health Pattern in Nigeria

Nigeria is often referred to as the "Giant of Africa", owing to its large population and economy.  With approximately 182 million inhabitants, Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and the seventh most populous country in the world. Nigeria has one of the largest populations of youth in the world.  It is a nation made of more than 250 ethnic groups, 380 languages, and a diverse range of cultural and religious beliefs and practices. 

Overall life expectancy at birth is 48 years; infant mortality rate is 89 per 1000 live births while 40,000 maternal deaths annually with a life time risk of 1 in every 22 women dying in pregnancy and child births (FMOH, 2019). It has been estimated that there are only 27 physicians per 100,000 people in Nigeria. With 5.5 live births per woman and a population growth rate of 3.2 percent annually, it is estimated to reach 440 million people by 2050. With its rapidly growing population and development challenges, the country drags down the socioeconomic indicators for the entire African continent.

9.2. Current Health Problems and their Solutions per Available Current Sources

The health issues that Nigeria faces are:

• Infectious diseases, 

• Environmental health related diseases

• Health insurance,  

• Disaster management, 

• Doctor-population ratio, 

• Population-bed ratio, 

• Population per health facility,

• Payment system/methods, 

• Utilization of care, 

• Access to care, 

• Improper co-ordination of donor funds, 

• Maternal mortality,

• Infant mortality, 

• Health financing, 

• Substance abuse 

• Disease surveillance 

• Brain drain of medical and health workers

• Rapid urbanization, 

• Non-communicable diseases (obesity, cardiovascular dxs, diabetes mellitus, asthma, sickle cell dxs) 

• Road traffic injuries 

• Occupational hazards

The top 10 causes of death in Nigeria 

Malaria (20%)

Lower Respiratory Infection (19%) 

HIV/AIDS (9%)  

Diarrheal Diseases (5%)  

Road Injuries (5%)  

Protein Energy Malnutrition (4%)  

Cancer (3%)  

Meningitis (3%)  

Stroke (3%)  

Tuberculosis (2%) 

Solutions to the Current Health Problems

Improving budgetary allocation for the management of PHC (at least 15% for health) 

Redirecting resources for health care from curative services to preventive services 

Encouraging the migration of health workers from urban areas to rural areas, 

Providing acceptable level of health-care services for all 

Control of preventable diseases e.g. through reactivation of routine immunization 

Improving quality of care like integrated PHC services

Development of a high performing and empowered health workforce

Strengthening of partnerships

Engagement with communities regulatory to get feedback

9.3. Problems Associated with the Over-emphasis on Curative rather than Preventive Health

• Shortage of manpower in the majority of  health facilities

• Poor state of private medical practice

• Mal-distribution of health institutions favouring of urban centres 

• Inability to control vaccine-preventable diseases

• Over-crowding of both secondary and tertiary health institutions

• Inadequate funding of primary health care centres

• Rapid spread of communicable diseases

• Increase in the number of non-communicable diseases

STUDENTS ASSIGNMENT

QUIZ

1. List any 10 health issues that Nigeria faces 

2. Describe how strategies in solving the current health problems in Nigeria

3. Identify any 5 problems associated with the over-emphasis on curative rather than preventive Health