UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA

FACULTY OF EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN KINETICS AND HEALTH EDUCATION

TOPIC
NIGERIAN NATIONAL HEALTH PLAN AND HEALTH POLICY: CRITIQUE

AN ASSIGNMENT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFIMLMENT OF THE

BY:
NWAFOR ERNEST OBINNA
PG/MSC/20/92249

LECTURER: DR. A.N. ODO

OCTOBER, 2023

1
 NIGERIAN NATIONAL HEALTH PLAN

Nigeria has been grappling with health challenges for several decades. One of the reasons for this

is the poor management of the national health plan and policies.

The Nigerian National Health Plan (NHP) was launched in 2013 with the goal of improving the

health of Nigerians by providing access to quality and affordable healthcare services. The plan is

based on four pillars:

1. Comprehensive primary healthcare: This pillar focuses on providing essential health

services at the community level, including preventive care, health promotion, and

treatment for common illnesses.

2. Secondary and tertiary care: This pillar focuses on providing specialized healthcare

services at hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

3. Public health: This pillar focuses on protecting the health of the population through

measures such as disease surveillance, immunization, and environmental health.

4. Health systems strengthening: This pillar focuses on improving the efficiency and

effectiveness of the healthcare system.

The NHP has been praised for its ambitious goals and its focus on primary healthcare. However,

it has also been criticized for its lack of funding, its poor implementation, and its failure to

address some of the most pressing health challenges facing Nigeria.

1
CRITIQUE OF THE NIGERIAN NATIONAL HEALTH PLAN AND POLICY

The Nigerian national health plan and policy have been inadequate in meeting the healthcare

needs of the citizens. One of the major issues is the inadequate budget allocation to the health

sector. The Nigerian government has committed to spending 15% of its annual budget on

healthcare, but this target has never been met. In 2019, the government spent only 5.5% of its

budget on healthcare. In 2019 again, only 4.1% of the national budget was allocated to the health

sector, which is far below the recommended 15% of the Abuja Declaration (Nnebue et al., 2019).

This has led to a lack of resources, including doctors, nurses, equipment, and facilities, which are

necessary to provide adequate healthcare services to the population.

Another criticism of the NHP is that it has been poorly implemented. The plan was supposed to

be implemented by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), but the NHIS has been

plagued by corruption and mismanagement. As a result, many Nigerians do not have access to

health insurance, and those who do often have difficulty accessing the services they need.

Also, the NHP has been criticized for failing to address some of the most pressing health

challenges facing Nigeria. For example, the plan does not adequately address the problem of

maternal and child mortality, which is among the highest in the world. The plan also does not

adequately address the problem of non-communicable diseases, such as heart disease and cancer,

which are on the rise in Nigeria.

Another issue is the lack of political will and commitment to implement health policies and

plans. Despite the adoption of the National Health Act in 2014, the government failed to

implement it fully, and this has contributed to the poor healthcare outcomes in the country (Iloh

et al., 2019). The act stipulated that at least one percent of the consolidated revenue fund be

2
devoted to health emergencies; however, it has not been enforced, leading to underfunding of

emergency healthcare services.

Furthermore, an inadequate infrastructure, widespread corruption, weak healthcare delivery

systems, and poverty also contribute to the poor state of the Nigerians' healthcare system (Okoli

et al., 2019). The inadequate infrastructure, including inadequate health facilities, poorly

maintained equipment, lack of running water and electricity, and inadequate waste management

have contributed to the inability to deliver the needed healthcare services.

Moreover, the country’s health policy suffers from inadequate planning and implementation. The

health sector often lacks clear goals, targets and measurable indicators, which makes it

challenging for policymakers to track and assess the implementation of the health plan.

Additionally, the health policy’s implementation is hampered by the centralization of the

healthcare system, which dilutes the quality of service delivery by rendering the system unable to

respond meaningfully to the peculiar needs of local health facilities.

Overall, the NHP is a well-intentioned plan, but it has been poorly funded and implemented. As

a result, it has failed to achieve many of its goals. The Nigerian government needs to invest more

in healthcare and improve the implementation of the NHP in order to improve the health of its

citizens.

3
 CONCLUSION

In summary, Nigeria’s health policies and planning have been inadequate and plagued with

several challenges, including underfunding, inadequate healthcare infrastructure, weak delivery

systems, poverty, and weak implementation. It is essential for policymakers to address these

issues to ensure the country's healthcare sector provides adequate healthcare services to the

population. One potential solution might be to improve the allocation of funds to the health

sector, leverage technology, and strengthen the healthcare system’s infrastructure. Additionally,

government leaders should adopt a strategy that prioritizes process improvement, promotes

transparency in decision-making, and creates a health system that is responsive to the health

needs of Nigerians.

RECOMMENDATION

Despite the challenges, the NHP remains an important plan for improving the health of

Nigerians. The Nigerian government needs to invest more in healthcare and improve the

implementation of the NHP in order to achieve its goals.

Here are some specific things that the Nigerian government can do to improve the

implementation of the NHP:

 Increase funding for healthcare.

 Improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the National Health Insurance Scheme.

 Address the problem of corruption in the healthcare sector.

 Invest in training and development of healthcare workers.

4
  Improve the availability of essential medicines and medical supplies.

 Strengthen disease surveillance and immunization programs.

 Promote public health education and awareness.

By taking these steps, the Nigerian government can make the NHP a more effective tool for

improving the health of its citizens.

5
 REFERENCES

Federal Government of Nigeria. (2013). National Health Plan 2013-2018. Abuja, Nigeria

Iloh, G., Amadi, A. N., & Nwankwo, U. O. (2019). Implementation of the National Health Act in

Nigeria: implications for the future. International Journal of Health Sciences, 13(1), 84-

88.

Nigeria Bureau of Statistics. (2020). National Statistical Report 2019. Abuja, Nigeria

Nnebue, C. C., Ebuenyi, I. D., Duru, C. B., Ossai, E. N., Emelumadu, O. F., & Adogu, P. O.

(2019). Health financing in Nigeria: implications for achieving universal health coverage.

Annals of Medical and Health Sciences Research, 9(7), 501-505.

Okoli, U., Morris, L., & Oshodi, T. (2019). The Nigerian healthcare system challenges for the

future. Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, 15(8), 932-936.

World Health Organization. (2022). World health statistics 2022: Monitoring health for SDGs.

Geneva, Switzerland.