A coalition known as the Coalition of Concerned Nigerians on Health Reform has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to declare a State of Emergency in Nigeria’s health sector, citing what it described as a deepening healthcare crisis across the country.
Speaking in Abuja, the group’s Coordinator, Comrade Muniretu Isah, said the challenges facing the healthcare system have reached a critical stage that requires urgent and extraordinary government intervention.
According to him, millions of Nigerians are suffering from delayed treatment, avoidable deaths, and limited access to quality healthcare due to the deteriorating state of public health facilities.
He noted that many hospitals are operating with outdated equipment, unreliable power supply, inadequate laboratory services, insufficient bed spaces, and ageing infrastructure. Isah added that several tertiary hospitals lack modern diagnostic tools, while numerous primary healthcare centres remain poorly equipped or non-functional.
The coordinator also expressed concern over the rising cost of medicines, attributing it to inflation, exchange-rate pressures, and Nigeria’s heavy reliance on imported pharmaceutical products. He said many patients can no longer afford treatment for chronic illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes, cancer, kidney disease, and heart-related conditions.
Isah further highlighted the shortage of medical personnel, stating that Nigeria has only about 55,000 licensed doctors serving a population of more than 220 million people. He said the situation has resulted in an overstretched workforce, with healthcare professionals handling overwhelming patient loads under difficult conditions.
He warned that the continued migration of doctors and other healthcare workers abroad in search of better opportunities is worsening the crisis and leaving hospitals increasingly understaffed.
“The result is a dangerously overstretched workforce, with doctors and other healthcare professionals attending to overwhelming numbers of patients under extremely difficult conditions,” he said.
According to him, patients now spend long hours waiting for consultations, emergency cases face delays, and access to specialist care has become increasingly difficult. He added that rural communities are particularly affected, as many primary healthcare centres lack adequate personnel, medicines, and essential equipment.
Isah also pointed to recurring industrial disputes involving resident doctors and other health workers, warning that frequent strike threats continue to weaken an already fragile healthcare system.
Describing the exodus of healthcare professionals as a major threat to national development, he said Nigeria is effectively training medical experts whose skills are eventually utilised by other countries.
The coalition called on the President to immediately launch a coordinated national recovery programme focused on emergency recruitment and retention of healthcare workers, improved remuneration and welfare packages, implementation of agreements with health sector unions, and increased investment in hospitals and primary healthcare centres.
Other recommendations include the modernisation of medical equipment and diagnostic facilities, expansion of residency training and specialist education, support for local pharmaceutical and medical equipment manufacturing, increased healthcare funding with measurable accountability targets, wider health insurance coverage, and policies aimed at reversing the brain drain in the sector.
“Healthcare is not a privilege; it is a constitutional and moral obligation of government,” Isah stated. “A nation cannot build a productive economy, attract investment, or secure its future while its hospitals struggle to provide basic services. The time for incremental reforms has passed. The time for decisive action is now.”
Group Urges Tinubu to Declare State of Emergency in Health Sector
