ISHAYA AJET HOSEA Essays (3056 words) - Health, Health Economics

ISHAYA AJET HOSEA Essays (3056 words) - Health, Health Economics ISHAYA AJET HOSEA 130151 CPBLG Investing in Africa's Future College of Business, Peace, Leadership and Governance Health Policy and Health Care in Africa (PGP516) Analysis of Nigeria's Healthcare System Lecturer: Prof. Pamela Machakanja Question: Due date: 5 th March, 2017 INTRODUCTION Nigeria faces a number of development challenges, of which poverty holds a central place. Indeed, the country is a land of paradox inasmuch as poverty is concerned. While Nigeria is a leading oil-producing nation and highly endowed in terms of various natural resources, the majority of her people are economically poor. As recent national data shows, over one-third of Nigerians (35%) live in extreme poverty while 54% are relatively poor. More than half of the Nigerian populations live on less than a dollar a day. In view of the extent and depth of poverty in the land, it should not be surprising that the health status of the country is poor, with an average life expectancy of only 46.6 years. According to the (Human Development Report, 2008) Nigeria is in the low human development index category and ranks 154 out of 179 countries, behind some West African countries with less economic potentials such as Ghana, Cameroon, and Senegal, which are in the medium human developmen t category. Key Terms: Sustainability, Health, Burden, Insurance, cover Executive Summary COUNTRY FACTS (2018 ) Population: 190,632,261 Life Expectancy at Birth Total : 53.8 years Male: 52.8 years Female : 55 years Infant Mortality Rate (Live Births) Total : 69.8 deaths/1,000 Male : 74.5 deaths/1,000 Female : 64.8 deaths/1,000 Health Expenditures: 3.7% of GDP (2014) (Source: CIA World Fact Book, 2017) The health system of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is currently in need of full evaluation. This is in order for new and revisited policies to fine-tune the wants of the forthcoming shift in infection pattern due to an epidemiological circumference (incidence, distribution, and control of diseases.) This means that the trouble of disease shifts away from communicable diseases like HIV/AIDS to non-communicable diseases but most recurring like diabetes. The contemporary health system is not fully built and equipped for the growing number of chronic diseases attacking the growing population of the country. Health care can be delivered at low cost, but in the current case, public health care delivery is notably inefficient and more expensively delivered by the private. This puts pressure on the financial situation of the health system. Therefore, policies in Nigeria's public health should focus more on providing access on a large scale. On that account, reinventing the parameters of operations of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) should aim at availing health access with ease for all and put more considerations into sicknesses that are considered minor. To achieve this objective, health facilities need further support by the government of the federation to enhance training and proficiency and a comprehensive focus on diseases. In addition, budgetary allocation towards heal ought to increase and be equally distributed across the nation THE ILLUSIVE STATE OF NIGERIA'S HEALTH CARE Slow Adoption of Information Technology Information technology is poised to bring about a significant transformation in the nation's health system, with the Internet serving as a major agent of change. The Quality Chasm report stresses that the automation of clinical, financial, and administrative transactions is essential to improving quality, preventing errors, enhancing consumer confidence in the health system, and improving efficiency (Institute of Medicine, 2001b). That report and others, as well as the plenary address at the summit by William Richardson, identify key areas in which a communications and information technology infrastructure could contribute greatly to enhancing the health care system (Institute of Medicine, 2001a; National Research Council, 2000). These potential contributions include enhancing clinical decision making by making real-time data available, increasing communication among providers and with patients through such approaches as remote medical consultations, collecting and aggregating clinical information and evidence into accessible information databases, facilitating patient access to reliable health information, and reducing medical errors. Failure to Address Growing Consumerism Among Patients There has been a growing consumerism in health care, exemplified by increases in access to health information o n the Internet and other media. Largely as a result of the Internet, patients and their families are now better educated and informed