The Nigerian Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, says that health systems in Nigerian will remain weak as long as developing countries like Nigeria continue to lose its trained health professionals to developed countries that did not invest in their first professional education. Pate made these remarks at the opening plenary of the 77th World Health Assembly (WHA) yesterday, saying half the world’s population is still facing “health poverty”, deprivations of access to affordable basic health care, such as immunisation, reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health care.
The 77th WHA is currently being held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 27 May to 1 June, with a theme for this year’s event as “All for Health, Health for All.”
According to available record, hundreds of Nigerian health workers migrate annually to more advanced countries like the UK, Canada and Saudi Arabia, partly for better working conditions and for better quality of life for them and their families.
Various statistics show that over 5,000 Nigerian medical doctors migrated to the UK between 2015 and 2022.
According to the Development Research and Project Centre (DRPC), 233 Nigerian doctors moved to the UK in 2015; the number increased to 279 in 2016; in 2017 the figure was 475; in 2018, the figure rose to 852; in 2019 it increased to 1,347; in 2020, the figure was 833 and in 2021, it was put at 932.
This is against the fact that Nigeria’s medical education, like most of its tertiary education in public institutions, is highly subsidised to all Nigerians believing that the government is not doing enough to support tertiary institutions.
Global Health Need
According to the Minister, “Even the significant progress made in addressing HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is looking fragile.”
He said there was a need to “re-examine the global health compact between our countries.”
“To ask the legitimate questions of whether the global health architecture is still fit-for-purpose and whether we have the political will to reform it for a future of greater uncertainties,” he said. “These are the questions that Nigeria would like members of the Assembly to ponder in the days ahead.”
Nigeria’s efforts
Highlighting Nigeria’s efforts on strengthening of its health system, Mr Pate said the theme of the 77th WHA resonates intensely with Nigeria’s Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, whose goal is to save lives, reduce pain, and produce health for all Nigerians.
“In Nigeria, we cannot ask the global community to do what we are not willing to do ourselves,” he said.
“We take responsibility and are striving to rebuild our national health system, improve its governance, strengthen our public health capacities, and unlock our healthcare value chains.
“We are increasing domestic financing, expanding primary healthcare and financial protection for the poor and vulnerable, retraining frontline health workers and increasing training quotas for new ones, stimulating local production of commodities, reinforcing core public health capacities, strengthening prevention and preparedness, and controlling various disease outbreaks.”
Other recommendations
The Minister recommended the continuation of ongoing negotiations for Pandemic Treaty and review of the International Health Regulations.
He said “Nigeria aligns with the Common African Position” while negotiations are on until a fair agreement is reached and concluded at a special session before the end of the year.
He said the COVID-19 pandemic had laid bare the vulnerabilities in health systems, both in developed and developing nations and has challenged countries to rethink the connection between access to health and social justice.
“As the world emerges from the pandemic, we would have thought that the sobering lessons of the pandemic reignite our determination to build political will, reinforce global solidarity, refocus on addressing global inequities, and invest in the global commons,” he said.
“As no country can be an island in this hyper connected world, facing serious threats from infectious diseases, climate change, and leadership dysfunction perpetuating devastating conflicts in too many regions, in parts of Africa, in the Middle East, and even in Europe; the gap between rhetoric and action cannot be louder at the global level. We cannot solve injustices with more injustice.”
