Lawyer Raises the Alarm over Govt’s Inability to Adequately Reform Health Sector
Amby Uneze in Owerri
A Constitutional and human rights lawyer, Ikenna Ahumibe, has raised the alarm over the Federal Government’s inability to adequately reform the health care for the general benefit of Nigerians.
He argued that access to healthcare is not a luxury but a basic right of every citizen, stressing that if government is unable to cater for the well-being and health of her citizens, it then means that such government has failed.
Ahumibe, who is also a human rights advocate maintained that healthcare is a fundamental obligation of
the state and an integral component of the right to life, but regretted that the Nigerian government has already failed to fulfil this obligation, as the healthcare system continues to operate in chains, crippled by neglect, inadequate infrastructure and policy failures.
In a statement he released to the press yesterday titled “Nigeria’s Constitutional Crisis in the Health Sector, a direct call to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for Comprehensive Health Sector Reforms, Ahumibe decried the level of decay in the health sector, noting “with only about 4.2% of the 2026 National Budget devoted to Healthcare, the
allocation remains manifestly insufficient and far below established international benchmarks.”
He said, “this systemic failure is further underscored by the increasing exodus of medical
professionals from the country. Nigerian doctors continue to emigrate in
significant numbers, driven by poor remuneration, persistent non-payment of
salaries resulting in incessant industrial actions, and the deplorable state of
medical infrastructure. The burden of excessive workload, professional burnout, and limited opportunities for career advancement further compounds this trend.
“Insecurity and policy inconsistency have created an unstable environment for
medical practice. Recent data indicates that dozens of Nigerian doctors are
kidnapped annually, with incidents on the rise, further underscoring the state’s
failure to guarantee the security of healthcare providers.
“Many Nigerians travel from Nigeria to India, UK, USA, Canada and other countries for medical treatment due to gaps in local healthcare – such as outdated equipment, limited specialists and frequent delays in critical care.”
He maintained that facilities like National Hospital Abuja often face capacity and infrastructure
challenges, especially for complex conditions like cancer or heart diseases, while healthcare facilities in foreign countries are equipped with advanced technology, experienced consultants, quicker diagnosis giving patients a higher chance of successful outcomes.
“Nigerian loses about $550 million yearly to medical tourism. About 5,000 Nigerians travel monthly for treatment abroad. Each patient spends roughly $20,000 – $40,000 per trip. India alone accounts for large some of this outflow.
“Nigerians deserves truly world-class hospitals across all the six geopolitical zones
to reduce the growing dependence on foreign medical care with modern
equipment, well-trained specialists, and proper funding, the country can treat
complex conditions locally restore public confidence in its healthcare system and
significantly curb the billions lost annually to medical tourism. Strengthening
domestic healthcare is not just necessary it is urgent for National Development
and patient survival.
“The state of Healthcare in Nigeria today, particularly at the National Hospital
Abuja and the Federal Medical Centre Owerri, represents a grave constitutional and moral failure. What should be centres of healing have become symbols of
systematic neglect, marked by outdated equipment frequent breakdowns, and
gross inadequacy of life saving machines.
“At the National Hospital Abuja, critical facilities such as MRI machines, dialysis
units, and cancer treatment equipment are either insufficient or poorly
maintained. Cancer Patients and those in need of Dialysis are left waiting endlessly owing to a shortage of machines. Some die in queues before ever receiving care. Others are turned away and funnelled to private Hospitals often tied to same consultants where treatment is prohibitively expensive, leaving countless patients to die for lack of funds. This is not mere inefficiency, It is a
threat to life.
“In Owerri FMC (Federal Medical Centre) the situation is even more alarming,
patients are admitted in Hospital corridors due to lack of space, in conditions that violate basic human dignity. Such treatment offends Sect 34 (1) of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees the dignity of the human person.
“As others are left to suffer, government priorities remain misplaced – diverting attention to projects like coastal roads, sharing of rice rather than swift Reforms to the healthcare system,” he stated.
Ahumibe charged the Minister of Health, Prof. Ali Pate to sit up and revamp the health institutions in the country while calling on the National Assembly to live up to their Constitutional and fiduciary duty by acting with decisiveness in the public interest, rather than engaging in practices that suggest budget inflation or participate in contract racketeering, both of which undermine public trust and integrity of governance. Healthcare is not charity, continued neglect goes beyond governance and it is dereliction of duty.
