NMA Explains Why Nigeria’s Health Sector Requires Reforms In 2026

According to Ireporter Online, the association said its position was informed by what it described as persistent weaknesses recorded across the sector in 2025, including poor policy direction, unresolved workforce crises and inadequate financing, all of which continued to erode the quality of healthcare available to citizens.

In a year-end assessment of the Federal Government’s performance, the Lagos State Chairman of the association, Dr. Saheed Babajide Kehinde, described the state of the health sector as unacceptable and disappointing, blaming what he called the absence of clear priorities within the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and insufficient political commitment to healthcare delivery.

Speaking in a statement, Kehinde noted that 2025 was marked by a lack of decisive action to tackle the worsening “Japa syndrome,” the mass migration of healthcare professionals out of the country, driven largely by poor remuneration, weak welfare structures and limited training opportunities.

He said industrial disputes dominated much of the year, as the Federal Government struggled to manage recurring strikes by health unions and professional groups, resulting in frequent disruptions that denied many Nigerians access to essential medical services.

Kehinde also criticised what he described as the ministry’s excessive focus on data gathering, research and international partnerships, arguing that these efforts came at the expense of strengthening core healthcare delivery, particularly at the primary healthcare level.

He observed that Nigeria’s health indicators remained troubling throughout 2025, pointing to slow progress toward Universal Health Coverage, low health insurance enrolment and the rising cost of medical care. According to him, the high prices of drugs, consumables, medical equipment and diagnostic services continued to push healthcare beyond the reach of a large segment of the population.

Other longstanding challenges identified in the review include poor budgetary allocation to the sector, weak healthcare financing, unstable power supply in medical facilities and inadequate attention to primary healthcare, which is expected to serve as the foundation of the nation’s health system.

While acknowledging modest improvements in health infrastructure, particularly in hospital construction, Kehinde stressed that buildings alone cannot guarantee quality healthcare without sufficient manpower, modern equipment, reliable power supply and sustainable funding.

Looking ahead to 2026, the NMA outlined a broad reform agenda, beginning with the implementation of better living wages, improved remuneration and enhanced welfare packages aimed at retaining skilled health professionals in the country.

To stem the tide of emigration, the association proposed incentives such as affordable housing and car loans, regular training and retraining, clear career progression paths, access to modern equipment, overseas training opportunities and more worker-friendly policies. It also called for an end to attacks on healthcare workers and demanded non-taxable call duty allowances.

On service delivery, the association urged the Federal Government to make healthcare more accessible, affordable and of higher quality through reforms in health insurance policies, reduced tariffs on medical equipment and consumables, price control measures on essential drugs and the expansion of key tertiary health institutions.

The NMA further renewed calls for the implementation of the extended retirement age for healthcare workers, stronger prioritisation of primary healthcare and improved collaboration between public and private hospitals to reduce mortality and improve access to care.

Additional recommendations include improving power supply to health institutions, increasing budgetary allocation to the sector from about six per cent to the 15 per cent benchmark set under the Abuja Declaration, and ensuring transparency and efficiency in the management of health funds.

Kehinde also urged the Minister of Health to adopt a more inclusive and respectful approach to industrial relations, warning that unresolved disputes, including those involving resident doctors, have had severe consequences for patients nationwide.

He advocated the establishment of specialist hospitals across the six geopolitical zones, including infectious disease centres, as well as improved security and working conditions to address burnout and mental stress among healthcare workers.

Health experts say the review highlights long-standing structural weaknesses in Nigeria’s health sector and sets a critical benchmark for government performance in 2026, describing the coming year as a decisive test of the administration’s readiness to move beyond policy promises and deliver tangible reforms that prioritise both healthcare workers and patients.