Problems Facing Healthcare Management in Nigeria
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Public health in a country is crucial because it helps to determine
many other factors such as national security, economic growth, and
development, sustainability, etc. A good public health system provides
the needed health care and at the right time to the people, this helps
to monitor and control disease outbreak and to also keep economic
activities going.
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The state of healthcare In Nigeria is saddening. It is a mix of a long
list of problems such as a lack of medications. Lack of medical
equipment, malnutrition, corruption, poor health infrastructure, fake
drugs, and lack of sufficient health personnel. This article
highlights the problems facing healthcare management systems in
Nigeria.
Problems Facing Healthcare Management in Nigeria
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
Read on below:
If you are in doubt of the catastrophic state of the health care
system, consider this, an average of 20,000 Nigerians travel to India
each year for medical assistance due to the lack of a sound healthcare
system in Nigeria, this is not to count the number of Nigerians that
troop into other countries. There is also a persistent rate of
avoidable death that occur in Nigeria from “preventable or treatable
infectious diseases such as malaria, pneumonia, diarrhoea, measles and
HIV/AIDS, this especially account for more than 70% of the estimated
one million death of children under the age of five in Nigeria.
Problems of health care management in Nigeria are:
Corruption
You should not be too surprised that this is one of the menaces
destroying the health care system in Nigeria. Corruption is a
cankerworm that feeds on every aspect of a country. In fact,
healthcare is the third most corrupt branch of the country. Since
public funds are embezzled and mismanaged, even funds meant to be used
to develop the health care system in Nigeria are diverted into
individual pockets. This is why there is a lack of development in the
health care system in Nigeria in terms of basic health care facilities
and modern equipment. Corruption has also wrecked the National Health
Scheme (NHS) which was meant to help citizens to secure better quality
health care. Those in management positions in the healthcare system
siphon off public funds to private accounts. This has made quality
medical care inaccessible for Nigerian citizens.
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Poor remuneration of health workers
Government hospitals in Nigeria do not pay adequate salaries to health
workers. Many Nigerian health workers do not feel protected and
appreciated, this is not good enough for persons who are responsible
for the lives of the citizens of a country. The meagre remuneration
for health workers is what has caused the massive brain drain
currently witnessed yearly, from Nigeria to the US and Europe.
Thousands of Nigerian medical personals leave the country in search of
greener pastures which leaves Nigeria to battle with the problem of
the insufficient workforce. Poor remuneration of workers also gives
rise to the perpetual national strikes of health workers. Poor
salaries and unhealthy work environments contribute to low motivation
and less productivity, for health workers which negatively affects the
healthcare system.
Poor education system
Generally, Nigerian suffers from a poor education system that cannot
provide adequate practical knowledge to students. Education in Nigeria
is largely theoretical, therefore most new graduates face the problem
of the practical application of knowledge to solve problems. There is
a lack of real experiences for many health workers. So, you will find
that many health workers in Nigeria make mistakes, not because they
did not learn well but because they are not properly prepared for
real-life situations.
Fake drugs
The problem of fake drugs in Nigeria has not been curbed. The side
effects of fake drugs include drug resistance, treatment failure,
poisoning and other diseases that are detrimental to the health of the
patients. Fake drugs also include drugs that are produced in
unhygienic conditions and may contain dangerous chemicals. The sales
of fake drugs continue to thrive in Nigeria because these drug dealers
sell their fake drug products at much cheaper prices than the original
price of the product. There is a high poverty rate in Nigeria, hence
many will prefer cheaper drugs because they do not have money.
Lack of a database
The absence of a common and active data collection system leads to a
lack of organization in the Nigerian health care management system.
Stakeholders who want to invest in the health system have very little
information to work with.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
Inadequate supply of medication
Healthcare in Nigeria has struggled long with the problem of
inadequate supply of medication. This is another resultant effect of
corruption in Nigeria. Many primary healthcare centres across Nigeria
do not get at least 20% of their medications every year. Patients are
forced to travel around in order to find a doctor with the right
medication. The lack of medicines also leads to the death of many
Nigerians yearly.
Lack of funding
Government medical facilities experience a lack of financing. In 2020,
the allocation of the national budget to health was less than 8% and
was further cut down from N44.4bn to N25.5bn which made it just about
4.17% of the total national budget. The situation is much worse in
rural areas where basic needs such as electricity, drugs are not
provided. The health care system cannot improve if it is not well
funded.
Poor Hygiene
Nigerian medical facilities suffer poor hygiene such as old
infrastructure, hot climate, lack of toilet facilities, etc. Even
outside of the hospitals, many Nigerians live in an unhygienic
environment; this includes inaccessibility to clean water, good
shelter and good food, all of these increase the poor health condition
of Nigerians and in turn puts pressure on an already failing health
care system.
Lack of Medical Facilities
The health care systems in rural areas of Nigeria lack the equipment
needed to provide good health care to the citizens. Many have to
travel to nearby cities for medical help while many in the cities have
to travel out of the country to seek medical help. Lack of medical
facilities also leads to the overpopulation of available medical
facilities. Basic medical equipment in demand includes cars, surgeon
rooms, x-ray rooms, etc.
In order to improve the state of the Nigerian health care system,
there needs to be a medical system that is well-grounded and funded in
addition to adequate management by dependable leaders.
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jQuery(document).ready(function( $) { $.post(
'https://nigerianfinder.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php', {action:
'mts_view_count', id: '290981'}); });
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Public health in a country is crucial because it helps to determine
many other factors such as national security, economic growth, and
development, sustainability, etc. A good public health system provides
the needed health care and at the right time to the people, this helps
to monitor and control disease outbreak and to also keep economic
activities going.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
The state of healthcare In Nigeria is saddening. It is a mix of a long
list of problems such as a lack of medications. Lack of medical
equipment, malnutrition, corruption, poor health infrastructure, fake
drugs, and lack of sufficient health personnel. This article
highlights the problems facing healthcare management systems in
Nigeria.
Problems Facing Healthcare Management in Nigeria
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
Read on below:
If you are in doubt of the catastrophic state of the health care
system, consider this, an average of 20,000 Nigerians travel to India
each year for medical assistance due to the lack of a sound healthcare
system in Nigeria, this is not to count the number of Nigerians that
troop into other countries. There is also a persistent rate of
avoidable death that occur in Nigeria from “preventable or treatable
infectious diseases such as malaria, pneumonia, diarrhoea, measles and
HIV/AIDS, this especially account for more than 70% of the estimated
one million death of children under the age of five in Nigeria.
Problems of health care management in Nigeria are:
Corruption
You should not be too surprised that this is one of the menaces
destroying the health care system in Nigeria. Corruption is a
cankerworm that feeds on every aspect of a country. In fact,
healthcare is the third most corrupt branch of the country. Since
public funds are embezzled and mismanaged, even funds meant to be used
to develop the health care system in Nigeria are diverted into
individual pockets. This is why there is a lack of development in the
health care system in Nigeria in terms of basic health care facilities
and modern equipment. Corruption has also wrecked the National Health
Scheme (NHS) which was meant to help citizens to secure better quality
health care. Those in management positions in the healthcare system
siphon off public funds to private accounts. This has made quality
medical care inaccessible for Nigerian citizens.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
Poor remuneration of health workers
Government hospitals in Nigeria do not pay adequate salaries to health
workers. Many Nigerian health workers do not feel protected and
appreciated, this is not good enough for persons who are responsible
for the lives of the citizens of a country. The meagre remuneration
for health workers is what has caused the massive brain drain
currently witnessed yearly, from Nigeria to the US and Europe.
Thousands of Nigerian medical personals leave the country in search of
greener pastures which leaves Nigeria to battle with the problem of
the insufficient workforce. Poor remuneration of workers also gives
rise to the perpetual national strikes of health workers. Poor
salaries and unhealthy work environments contribute to low motivation
and less productivity, for health workers which negatively affects the
healthcare system.
Poor education system
Generally, Nigerian suffers from a poor education system that cannot
provide adequate practical knowledge to students. Education in Nigeria
is largely theoretical, therefore most new graduates face the problem
of the practical application of knowledge to solve problems. There is
a lack of real experiences for many health workers. So, you will find
that many health workers in Nigeria make mistakes, not because they
did not learn well but because they are not properly prepared for
real-life situations.
Fake drugs
The problem of fake drugs in Nigeria has not been curbed. The side
effects of fake drugs include drug resistance, treatment failure,
poisoning and other diseases that are detrimental to the health of the
patients. Fake drugs also include drugs that are produced in
unhygienic conditions and may contain dangerous chemicals. The sales
of fake drugs continue to thrive in Nigeria because these drug dealers
sell their fake drug products at much cheaper prices than the original
price of the product. There is a high poverty rate in Nigeria, hence
many will prefer cheaper drugs because they do not have money.
Lack of a database
The absence of a common and active data collection system leads to a
lack of organization in the Nigerian health care management system.
Stakeholders who want to invest in the health system have very little
information to work with.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
Inadequate supply of medication
Healthcare in Nigeria has struggled long with the problem of
inadequate supply of medication. This is another resultant effect of
corruption in Nigeria. Many primary healthcare centres across Nigeria
do not get at least 20% of their medications every year. Patients are
forced to travel around in order to find a doctor with the right
medication. The lack of medicines also leads to the death of many
Nigerians yearly.
Lack of funding
Government medical facilities experience a lack of financing. In 2020,
the allocation of the national budget to health was less than 8% and
was further cut down from N44.4bn to N25.5bn which made it just about
4.17% of the total national budget. The situation is much worse in
rural areas where basic needs such as electricity, drugs are not
provided. The health care system cannot improve if it is not well
funded.
Poor Hygiene
Nigerian medical facilities suffer poor hygiene such as old
infrastructure, hot climate, lack of toilet facilities, etc. Even
outside of the hospitals, many Nigerians live in an unhygienic
environment; this includes inaccessibility to clean water, good
shelter and good food, all of these increase the poor health condition
of Nigerians and in turn puts pressure on an already failing health
care system.
Lack of Medical Facilities
The health care systems in rural areas of Nigeria lack the equipment
needed to provide good health care to the citizens. Many have to
travel to nearby cities for medical help while many in the cities have
to travel out of the country to seek medical help. Lack of medical
facilities also leads to the overpopulation of available medical
facilities. Basic medical equipment in demand includes cars, surgeon
rooms, x-ray rooms, etc.
In order to improve the state of the Nigerian health care system,
there needs to be a medical system that is well-grounded and funded in
addition to adequate management by dependable leaders.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
jQuery(document).ready(function( $) { $.post(
'https://nigerianfinder.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php', {action:
'mts_view_count', id: '290981'}); });
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