The Nigerian healthcare service delivery industry holds immense potential but remains underdeveloped, underutilised, inadequately resourced, and overstretched.
Despite a rapidly growing population, demand for medical services continues to outpace supply.
The system suffers from outdated equipment, weak infrastructure, and a dangerously high patient-to-doctor ratio of 1:5,000, far above the WHO recommendation of 1:600.
Insurance coverage is alarmingly low, with fewer than 5% of Nigerians enrolled, forcing over 70% of health expenditure to be paid out-of-pocket.
These weaknesses fuel poor access to care, medical brain drain, with over 2,000 doctors emigrating annually, and rising medical tourism, draining an estimated $1 billion yearly.
Reliance on public-sector-driven healthcare has proven insufficient, highlighting the need for a new model that mobilises private sector capacity for sustainable, competitive, and efficient healthcare delivery.
Healthcare isn’t just a social good but a strategic pillar of business competitiveness and sovereignty. Yet, despite government recognition of the private sector’s vital role in development, policies have not gone far enough in creating an enabling environment for private participation.
As Nigeria shifts toward a more pragmatic, market-oriented governance framework, there is an urgent need to institutionalise a paradigm shift in healthcare policy – one that embeds sovereignty, competitiveness, and private sector partnership at its core.
The private sector already delivers over 60% of healthcare services in Nigeria. From small clinics to major hospitals, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and emerging health-tech platforms, private operators are raising standards in infrastructure, technology, and specialist services. However, their footprint remains fragmented, concentrated in urban areas, and often inaccessible to rural and low-income populations.
This private sector presence underscores untapped potential, which policy reform can unlock.
For the private sector to drive universal healthcare sovereignty, the government must move from intent to decisive action. Priority areas include:
For Nigeria to achieve universal healthcare sovereignty, rhetoric must give way to action. The private sector’s footprint shows strong potential, but systemic barriers limit its scale and impact. By integrating NHIA, NSITF, and private insurers, strengthening PPP frameworks, streamlining regulations, and enabling affordable finance, Nigeria can expand healthcare coverage and efficiency.
Healthcare, therefore, must be redefined not just as a social service but as a strategic pillar of business competitiveness and national sovereignty.
A paradigm shift in policy and implementation is overdue – one that anchors healthcare at the heart of Nigeria’s competitiveness and resilience.