The 7th of April every year is set aside to commemorate World Health Day. This has been the tradition since 1950, after it was proposed at the First World Health Assembly in 1948. Each year’s celebration comes with a unique theme, and this year’s celebration is tagged “Building a Fairer, Healthier World.”
The day is marked to create awareness on the importance of human health. It does not prioritize physical health alone as it places relevance on the three aspects of human well-being, physical, mental and social aspects. The well-being of an individual, therefore, hinges on the possession of the three.
The yearly event is to create awareness of the numerous health challenges facing the world. Millions of people around the world are infected with many terrible diseases. This affects their overall well-being. The ultimate goal is to achieve the SDG 3, which ensures Good Health and Well-being for all by 2030.
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As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to commemorate this year’s event, what progress has been made to achieve SDG 3.
More than 1 in 8 children die before their 5th birthday in Nigeria, as revealed by the NDHS 2018. The under-five mortality rate is 132 per 1000 live births. And the country has an infant mortality rate of 67 per 1,000 live births.
Infant mortality is the probability of a child dying between birth and first birthday.
The neonatal mortality rate in Nigeria, which is the probability of a newborn dying within the first month of life, is 39 per 1000 live births.
The survey, however, shows that there was a 13.2% improvement in the under-five and 18.7% infant mortality rate. The under-five mortality rate declined from 152 per 1000 in 2008 to 132 per 1000 in 2018. Likewise, infant mortality declined from 75 per 1,000 to 67 per 1000 within the same period. But neonatal mortality recorded only a marginal change, as it fell from 40 to 39.
There has been an increase in the proportion of pregnant women receiving antenatal care at hospitals. The 2018 NDHS shows that the number of women increased gradually from 2008 to 2018. The value increased by 3% in 2013 and doubled in 2018. In 2008, 58% of the pregnant women received antenatal care at the hospital. It increased to 61% in 2013 and 67% in 2018.
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Likewise, infectious diseases prevalent in the country had a mixed fortune. For malaria, its prevalence amongst children under five years has improved. There was a decline in the number of children who tested positive for malaria by 19%. The figure declined from 42% in 2010 to 23% in 2018. This can be attributed to the continuous awareness of Insecticide Treated Nets (ITN). The usage increased from 16% in 2010 to 52% in 2018. However, there was an increase in persons infected with Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) from 6% in 2013 to 22% in 2018.
Nigeria’s public spending on health has increased over the years. The nominal increase can be attributed to the increase in the general budget spending. The country is yet to attain the minimum requirement arrived at the Abuja Declaration. African Union leaders agreed to commit at least 15% of their spending on health.
Nigeria’s percentage of the health budget to the total budget has been short of 15%. It was 5.3% in 2015 and dropped to 4.13% in 2016. The years under review (2015 to 2021) recorded the least figure in 2018 (3.95%). The percentage recorded in the 2021 budget is 4.03, which is less than that of 2020 (4.08).
Nigeria has a substantial out-of-pocket expenditure on health. Out of pocket expenditure is the amount of money that individuals pay for health care services rendered to them from their resources. This amount is so as it is not refunded to them by a third party. From 2009 to 2018, data showed that Nigeria’s out-of-pocket expenditure of total health expenditure averaged at 74.26%. The figure has been above 70% for the years and was 76.6% in 2018.
The health sector is saddled with numerous challenges, one of which is the welfare of medical practitioners. As the world marks World Health Day, the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) go on strike as a last resort to demand better working conditions.
Nigeria has recorded some outstanding achievements which are notable. However, a lot needs to be done to attain SDG 3 by 2030.