Approximately half of the world’s population lacks access to basic health care. Every year, it is estimated that about 100 million people, including 11 million Africans, fall into poverty due to the cost of health care. However, out-of-pocket health expenditures account for more than 70% of overall health spending in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, compared to 35% across sub-Saharan Africa.
Although Nigeria has a robust national policy for universal health coverage, little progress has been made since the 58th World Health Assembly issued a resolution encouraging countries to transition to Universal Health Coverage in 2005. According to basic UHC statistics, Nigeria has the lowest government health financing and the highest out-of-pocket cost in Africa. The goal of the UHC is to provide high-quality health care to everyone, regardless of socioeconomic status.
It is high time Nigeria paid more emphasis to quality and accessible health services, financial security, and the improvement of the health system as it moves towards the UHC. This is because the cornerstones of establishing UHC are equity, quality, and financial security….
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