Nigeria’s 36 states spent a total of N1.39 trillion on the health sector in 2023. This represents 58.16% of the N2.3 trillion health sector budget for the same year.
That’s according to the latest BudgIT 2024 state report.
This gap highlights critical funding shortfalls for essential health programs, and BudgeIT calls for states to move from simply budgeting for health care to funding services that are actually needed. is emphasized.
“The discrepancy between allocated and actual spending reveals insufficient financial support for core health services, with gaps remaining in the most critical areas,” BudgetIT said. , called on states to increase the percentage of health funding that is fully utilized rather than simply allocated.
BudgIT’s Head of Research and Policy Advisory, Iniobong Yousen, discussed the findings, and the report found that states can better fund their budgets through internally generated revenue and improve investment in human capital. , pointed out that ways to ensure fiscal responsibility are being explored.
“This report addresses the fiscal challenges facing Nigeria’s 36 states in balancing economic instability, budget reliability, and the need for improved public health investment.” He gave the explanation while speaking from Abuja on Tuesday.
Gaps and weakened medical standards The report, titled “Moving primary health care delivery from suboptimal to optimal,” draws attention to significant funding shortfalls in essential health care areas, particularly medical equipment and drug supplies.
“Only N35.72 billion was spent on medical equipment, with nine states including Edo, Ekiti and Ogun reporting no expenditure on this sector,” the report stressed, adding It warns that a lack of investment in equipment is hampering healthcare delivery. Consistent supply of medicines remains important for effective treatment, but states in Nigeria have only allocated NNR 15.31 billion for medical supplies in 2023, with states such as Delta, Ebonyi and Niger states allocating just N15.31 billion for medical supplies. of states report zero spending on this essential item.
BudgIT warns that “this shortage limits access to essential medicines, puts patients’ health status at risk and limits treatment capacity.”
Infrastructure and workforce shortages complicate service delivery challenges In addition to funding issues, the report also pointed to challenges in Nigeria’s health infrastructure and workforce. “With 38,182 health facilities across Nigeria, 74.08% of which are government-owned, the current network is struggling to meet the demand.
“The average public primary health care facility relative to population is one facility per 8,960 people, which is close to, but still below, the WHO recommendation of one facility per 10,000 people.
“Bayelsa has only 202 public primary health facilities, while Niger State has 1,338 primary facilities,” the report highlighted.
Labor shortages compound the problem, with Nigeria’s doctor-to-patient ratio at just four doctors per 10,000 people, far below the WHO recommendation of one doctor per 600 people. are.
“States such as Taraba State, where the doctor-patient ratio is 1:17,959, and Bauchi State, where only 10.9% of facilities have general physicians, face severe bottlenecks in service delivery,” the report said. Pointed out.
The BudgIT report attributes this shortage in part to the growing “Japa” trend, where Nigerian health workers are leaving the country in search of better opportunities abroad, further exacerbating staffing constraints in the health system. It is said that this is due to this.
What you need to know
⦁ Burden on healthcare workers: As BudgIT points out, the continued emigration of doctors and nurses overseas places a heavy burden on those who remain, impacting overall service delivery.
⦁ Burden of infectious diseases: The BudgIT report highlights the alarmingly high prevalence of infectious diseases in Nigeria. For example, Borno State will report over 527,000 malaria cases in 2023, contributing to the disease burden in states such as Kogi, Plateau and Ondo.
⦁ Cholera and tuberculosis cases: The report also notes that cholera and tuberculosis cases remain serious, with Kaduna alone recording 32,297 tuberculosis cases, calling for urgent strengthening of disease control and prevention programs. It emphasizes that it is necessary.
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