The Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED) has advised all tiers of government in Nigeria to declare a state of emergency in the health sector, to revive the nation’s ailing healthcare system, and fulfill the constitutional mandate of protecting the well-being and human rights of all citizens.
Ibrahim Zikirullahi, the Executive Director of CHRICED, advised in a chat with newsmen on Monday, as the 2025 World Health Day is celebrated today.
The CHRICED boss expressed deep concerns over Nigeria’s slow and insufficient progress towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
He says less than 5% of Nigerians are presently enrolled under the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA). In comparison, over 70% continue to pay out-of-pocket for healthcare, an unsustainable and unjust burden for the average Nigerian.
He noted that this is particularly troubling given that in 2022, former President Muhammadu Buhari signed the National Health Insurance Authority Act into law, with Section 14 making health insurance mandatory for all residents.
The group said it had anticipated that the law would trigger a renewed push to expand health coverage nationwide, but regretted that the lack of enforcement and implementation had led to tragic consequences, such as the recent death of a pregnant woman whose family could not afford the ₦500,000 needed for her delivery.
“These painful stories are not isolated. Countless Nigerians continue to lose their lives or the lives of loved ones due to the prohibitive cost of healthcare and a health system that is increasingly unaffordable, especially for vulnerable groups.
“Despite the provision for a Vulnerable Group Fund under Section 25 of the NHIA Act, groups such as the elderly, persons with disabilities, and pregnant women still lack access to free or subsidized healthcare. The country’s prevailing economic hardship underscores the government’s urgency to subsidize healthcare for vulnerable citizens.
“The failure to implement critical health laws and policies continues to worsen maternal and child health indicators in Nigeria. At the national level, maternal mortality stands at 576 deaths per 100,000 live births, making Nigeria one of the countries with the highest maternal mortality rates globally, according to the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).
“This poor health outcome is exacerbated by the ongoing brain drain of medical professionals, leaving the country with an ever-declining number of skilled birth attendants and trained personnel.
“In Kano State, the statistics are even more alarming. With its high population and fertility rate, maternal mortality ranges from 576 to 1,025 deaths per 100,000 live births, and neonatal mortality is the highest in the country at 59 deaths per 1,000 live births. Only 21.5% of deliveries are attended by skilled birth attendants, highlighting a massive gap in access to quality maternal care,” the CHRICED boss noted.
The group advocated prioritizing domestic resource mobilization for health, saying that governments at all levels must drive initiatives to enforce mandatory health insurance and use pooled funds to tackle systemic issues in the health sector.
It also suggested increasing the Health budget to at least 15% to strengthen infrastructure and human resources and encouraging private sector investment in this sector, as the government alone cannot do the work.
“In accordance with the NHIA Act (2022), federal and state governments must begin transparent and accountable subsidization of healthcare for the most at-risk populations.
“CHRICED believes that access to quality maternal and child healthcare is not a privilege; it is a fundamental human right. Upholding this right is essential to securing a future where every child survives and every mother thrives,” Zikirullahi posited.
