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From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
A civil society organisation, the Coalition of Concerned Nigerians on Health Reform, has called on President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in Nigeria’s health sector and remove the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, over what it described as his failure to address the country’s worsening healthcare crisis.
The coalition passed a vote of no confidence in the minister, and added that it had lost confidence in Pate’s ability to provide the leadership required to rescue Nigeria’s struggling health sector.
In a statement titled “Enough Is Enough: Declare a State of Emergency in Nigeria’s Health Sector Now,” the coalition’s Coordinator, Muniretu Isa, said the nation’s healthcare system had reached a critical point where routine policy interventions were no longer sufficient.
He said millions of Nigerians are bearing the consequences of the failure through delayed treatment, avoidable deaths and reduced access to quality healthcare.
According to the coalition, Nigeria’s health workforce has become dangerously overstretched, noting that only about 55,000 licensed doctors are available to serve a population of more than 220 million people.
It said the continued migration of doctors and other healthcare professionals abroad has left hospitals increasingly understaffed, resulting in long waiting times for patients, delayed emergency care and limited access to specialist services, particularly in rural communities where many primary healthcare centres lack personnel, medicines and essential equipment.
The group also highlighted recurring labour disputes in the health sector, attributing them to poor remuneration, unpaid allowances, delayed salaries, inadequate recruitment, poor working conditions, obsolete medical equipment, deteriorating hospital infrastructure and the government’s failure to fully implement agreements reached with health sector unions.
It warned that repeated strikes and threats of industrial action continue to push Nigeria’s already fragile healthcare system closer to collapse.
The coalition further lamented the poor state of public hospitals, saying many facilities operate with obsolete diagnostic equipment, unreliable electricity supply, inadequate laboratory services, insufficient hospital beds and ageing infrastructure.
On healthcare financing, it argued that Nigeria continues to spend far below the commitment envisioned under the Abuja Declaration, forcing millions of citizens to pay for healthcare out of pocket.
It added that rising medicine prices have placed treatment for chronic illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes, cancer, kidney disease and heart conditions beyond the reach of many Nigerians, while maternal and child mortality remains high and preventable diseases, including malaria, tuberculosis and cholera, continue to claim lives.
The coalition described the continued exodus of healthcare professionals as one of the greatest threats facing the country, warning that Nigeria continues to invest in training doctors, nurses and other specialists whose expertise ultimately benefits foreign healthcare systems.
Calling for urgent presidential intervention, the coalition urged President Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in the health sector and relieve Pate of his appointment, insisting that it had lost confidence in his capacity to deliver the reforms needed to revive the healthcare system.
It also recommended the emergency recruitment and retention of healthcare workers, improved remuneration and welfare packages, full implementation of agreements with health sector unions, substantial investment in hospitals and primary healthcare centres, modernisation of medical equipment, expansion of residency training, increased healthcare funding, broader health insurance coverage and a comprehensive strategy to reverse the brain drain.
The coalition maintained that healthcare is both a constitutional and moral obligation of government, stressing that Nigeria cannot build a productive economy or attract sustainable investment while its healthcare system continues to deteriorate.
It concluded that with a shrinking healthcare workforce, overstretched hospitals and declining public confidence, the time had come for decisive action.
“We hereby place a vote of no confidence on Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate. We ask that President Tinubu take immediate steps to rescue Nigeria’s health sector.
