LAGOS, Nigeria — As di world dey celebrate di World Health Day for April 7, 2025, Nigeria get serious work to do on top di health matter wey dey affect im citizens. Di theme for dis year na ‘Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures’ and e highlight di urgent need for better health care, especially for mothers and newborns.
World Health Day don dey happen since 1950 as way to remind countries make dem focus on health topics wey dey affect people around di world. According to di World Health Organization (WHO), dis year’s celebration go kick off one year-long campaign wey go center on maternal and newborn health. Dem want governments and health community to gear up efforts to stop di preventable deaths of mothers and babies.
“Close to 300,000 women dey lose their lives due to pregnancy or childbirth every year, while over two million babies dey die within di first month of life. Dis mean say na about one preventable death E dey happen every seven seconds,” WHO talk.
Di agency also talk say four out of five countries no dey on track to meet di 2030 targets for maternal survival, and one in three countries dey miss their goals for reducing newborn deaths. Nigeria, unfortunately, dey contribute heavily to dis sad statistics. UNICEF reveal say Nigeria’s 40 million women of childbearing age dey face high health risks related to childbirth.
“Nigeria get only 2.4 percent of di world population, but e dey contribute about 10 percent of global deaths of pregnant mothers. Di current maternal mortality rate na 576 per 100,000 live births, wey be di fourth highest for di world,” UNICEF report.
Alarmingly, approximately 262,000 babies dey die at birth every year for Nigeria, wey be di second highest for di world. Infant mortality dey stand at 69 per 1,000 live births, with malaria, pneumonia, and diarrhoea accounting for over half of under-five deaths (64 percent). Most of dis heart-wrenching statistics na result of government failure to fix di healthcare system.
Nigeria’s healthcare infrastructure dey underdevelopment, and many primary health care centers dey in disrepair or even abandoned because of lack of staff. Di country dey rank among di lowest in Africa when e come to health indicators. Di ongoing brain drain of trained health workers and dem poor pay dey affect morale. Only about 35,000 doctors dey operate for Nigeria, when di country actually need about 237,000 doctors, according to WHO.
Di Nigerian Medical Association don report say Nigeria dey lose at least $2 billion every year to medical tourism as plenty people dey travel abroad for better medical care. Wit rising poverty levels, about 70 percent of Nigerians still dey pay out-of-pocket for their healthcare, and dis don make access to quality healthcare tough for millions. Dem need to start serious commitment to reduce maternal and child mortality and set structures wey go allow women in rural areas access better healthcare.
Nigeria healthcare system need to embrace digital solutions and improve emergency services. Medical staff should dey receive better and timely payments to retain trained professionals. Governors suppose revamp di primary health care centers. Di National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) should expand coverage to protect citizens from financial problems and create public-private partnerships to ease di financial pressure on treatment costs.
