A new Country Health System and Services Profile (CHSSP) from the African Health Observatory Platform on Health Systems and Policies (AHOP) has revealed that Nigeria’s health system is performing at only 45% of its potential, a rate significantly below the African regional average of 56%.
The report, produced by the Nigerian National Centre for AHOP (Health Policy Research Group at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka) with support from the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and WHO-AFRO, indicates that despite various sector reforms, health outcomes in Nigeria have failed to keep pace with expectations.
The report emphasizes that while there have been some improvements in outputs such as access and quality over the last decade, progress is insufficient to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by the 2030 target. Core health outcomes, including service coverage, patient satisfaction, and financial risk protection, all remain below regional standards.
A major finding is the catastrophic reliance on personal spending. Out-of-pocket expenditure constitutes a massive 75% of total health spending, placing Nigeria among the highest globally for this metric.
