Fixing Nigeria’s Broken Healthcare Chain Is Key to Saving Lives-NMA
By Christiana Babayo
The President of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) Dr Bala Audu has called for a total overhaul of Nigeria’s healthcare system, warning that the nation’s health value chain is “broken at several critical links” and must be rebuilt “from policy to patient” to restore public trust and improve outcomes.
The Taraba State NMA Chairman Dr Adamu Kara noted this while addressing a Press Conference in Jalingo on behalf of the President, during the opening of the 2025 Physicians’ Week.
NMA said this year’s theme “Healthcare as a Value Chain: Building Efficiency from Policy to Patient” was deliberately chosen to draw attention to the gaps that continue to undermine healthcare delivery in Nigeria.
The health body painted a stark picture of the sector, noting that while doctors continue to demonstrate resilience, Nigeria’s health system remains overstretched, underfunded, and underperforming.
“This annual event affords us the opportunity not only to celebrate the resilience, commitment, and sacrifice of Nigerian doctors but also to reflect deeply on the state of our health system and to chart a purposeful course for its future.
“Value chain applied to healthcare, represents the continuum that begins with sound policies and strategic financing, flows through efficient planning, an empowered workforce, and effective service delivery, and culminates in improved patient outcomes and public trust.
“However, in Nigeria today, too many of these links are either weak or broken. We often invest energy at the downstream end, the patient encounter without adequately strengthening the upstream processes that determine success.
“The consequence is a health system that is overstretched, underfunded, and underperforming” Kara noted.
He cited grim statistics to illustrate the challenge the health sector is facing.
“Health expenditure remains around 4.08% of GDP, far below the Abuja Declaration target, Life expectancy is about 55 years, one of the lowest globally, Health worker density is 1.83 per 1,000 population, less than half of WHO’s recommended minimum, Maternal mortality exceeds 1,000 deaths per 100,000 live births, while 80% of rural deaths are linked to weak primary healthcare.” He noted.
He also urged the government to adopt performance-linked financing and ring-fenced budgets for primary healthcare, warning that reactive, fragmented spending has failed the system for too long.
On the exodus of medical professionals, he described Nigeria’s brain drain as a national emergency that must be tackled through deliberate incentives and improved working conditions.
He urged federal and state governments to track, publish, and benchmark health outcomes to foster accountability and continuous improvement.
The association also called for Comprehensive policy reform anchored on accountability, re-engineered financing prioritizing preventive care, Workforce revitalization through fair pay and training,operational efficiency driven by data and technology, and outcome-driven leadership across all levels of government.
As part of the activities marking the 2025 Physicians Week, the NMA visited the GMCN orphanage where food items and other necessities were handed over to the Orphange.
Responding, both the management and students of the orphange expressed deep gratitude to the NMA for the timely intervention, praying for the Almighy to reward them accordingly.
The Physicians’ Week is an annual event organized by the NMA to celebrate the nation’s doctors and reflect on critical health policy issues.
