Health and Safety in Nigeria

The health care system of Nigeria is relatively poor and currently undergoing significant reorganization since the Bamako Initiative was implemented in 1987. The WHO 2000 report ranked Nigeria’s health care system 187 out of 191. The country has one of the lowest life expectancy rate in the world, 20% of the children population die before reaching the age of 5. It is estimated that the Nigerian Ministry of Health spend roughly 70% of its budget in urban regions where only 30% of the population lives.

One of the major issues the government is committed to solve is the continuous migration of health professionals specifically to North American and European countries. In 2005, about 2,500 Nigerian doctors leaved for the US and 1,600 for the UK. Retaining these expensive and highly trained health professionals has been one of the goals of the government. This “brain drain” has worsened the current health care system of the country.

The Nigerian government established the National Health Insurance Scheme in 1999 which covers government employees, the private sector, children under the age of 5, permanently disabled persons, and prison inmates. In 2004, the Obasanjo administration further gave legislative authority to the said scheme through helpful amendments. In 1989, the Nigerian government passed a law to create a helpful list of essential drugs in the country limiting the manufacturing and importing of sub-standard and fake drugs. Mental health service in Nigeria is provided by 8 regional psychiatric centers and medical schools and psychiatric departments of 12 major universities. There are also a few general hospitals that offer mental health servicing.