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 declared that it no longer trusted Pate to lead Nigeria’s faltering health sector and passed a vote of no confidence in the minister.
In a statement titled “Enough Is Enough: Declare a State of Emergency in Nigeria’s Health Sector Now,” the coalition’s Coordinator, Muniretu Isah, said the nation’s healthcare system had reached a critical point where routine policy interventions were no longer sufficient.
Millions of Nigerians, he claimed, are suffering as a result of the failure through treatment delays, preventable deaths, and limited access to high-quality healthcare.
According to the coalition, Nigeria’s health workforce has become dangerously overstretched, noting that only about 55,000 licenced 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 brought attention to persistent labour disputes in the health sector, blaming them on inadequate pay, unpaid allowances, delayed salaries, poor hiring practices, unfavourable working conditions, outdated medical equipment, deteriorating hospital infrastructure, and the government’s failure to carry out agreements made with health sector unions.
It cautioned that Nigeria’s already precarious healthcare system is on the verge of collapse due to frequent strikes and threats of industrial action.
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.
Regarding healthcare funding, it contended that millions of Nigerians are forced to pay for medical care out of pocket because the country still spends far less than the commitment outlined in the Abuja Declaration.
It further stated that while maternal and child mortality rates remain high and avoidable diseases like malaria, tuberculosis, and cholera continue to take lives, rising medication costs have made treatment for chronic illnesses like hypertension, diabetes, cancer, kidney disease, and heart conditions unaffordable for many Nigerians.
Nigeria continues to invest in training physicians, nurses, and other specialists whose knowledge eventually helps foreign healthcare systems, the coalition warned, characterising the ongoing exodus of healthcare professionals as one of the biggest threats facing the nation.
The coalition, which had lost faith in President Tinubu’s ability to implement the reforms required to revitalise the healthcare system, called for immediate presidential intervention, urging him to declare a state of emergency in the health sector and remove Pate from his position.
Additionally, it suggested emergency hiring and retention of healthcare professionals, better welfare and compensation packages, full implementation of agreements with health sector unions, significant investments in hospitals and primary healthcare facilities, modernisation of medical equipment, expansion of residency training, increased funding for healthcare, expanded coverage of health insurance, and a comprehensive plan to stop 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 came to the conclusion that decisive action was necessary due to a declining public trust, overworked hospitals, and a shrinking healthcare workforce.
“Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate has our vote of no confidence. We demand that President Tinubu act right away to save Nigeria’s medical system.
