Despite vulnerabilities, Nigeria’s health sector restructures for 2026

By : Nkechi Onyedika-Ugoeze

Date: 1 January 2026 3:14am WAT

Share :

Health Sector

Health Sector

The year 2025 was a defining one for Nigeria’s health sector, marked by a delicate balance between public health emergencies, systemic pressures and notable policy gains. From outbreaks of infectious diseases to funding uncertainties, workforce crises and reform-driven milestones, the sector navigated one of its most demanding periods in recent years.

The year opened with heightened disease surveillance as the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) reported a surge in Lassa fever cases. By late January, 290 confirmed infections and 53 deaths had been recorded. As of December 7, the tally had risen to 1,069 confirmed cases across 21 states, with 195 deaths, representing a case fatality rate of about 18.2 per cent—higher than the 16.5 per cent recorded during the same period in 2024.

In addition, the NCDC confirmed 19,213 cases of measles with 153 deaths between January and November, alongside 10,353 suspected cholera cases and 244 deaths across 37 states. The agency warned that the outbreaks were spreading across multiple states and called for stronger surveillance and community engagement.

Beyond disease outbreaks, global developments also shaped the health landscape. On January 20, the global health community was unsettled by an executive order from United States President Donald Trump halting foreign aid for 90 days. The decision temporarily froze funding for several global health programmes, including HIV/AIDS interventions under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), triggering uncertainty for Nigeria’s HIV response.

According to UNAIDS, the funding disruption affected access to treatment and prevention services for millions globally. In Nigeria, where PEPFAR accounts for about 90 per cent of HIV treatment support, stakeholders raised concerns about the continuity of HIV, tuberculosis and malaria services.

In response, the Federal Government in February approved an additional N200 billion allocation to the health sector to cushion the impact of the funding freeze, particularly for TB, HIV and malaria services. This intervention underscored Nigeria’s heavy dependence on donor funding, even as it highlighted growing efforts to strengthen domestic financing for health.

Policy initiatives also featured prominently.

In March, President Bola Tinubu launched the National Health Fellows Programme to improve service delivery and accountability at primary healthcare centres. Under the first cohort, about 774 fellows were deployed across all local government areas to monitor PHC performance, with a second cohort scheduled for inauguration in early 2026.

However, the year also exposed deep-rooted human resource challenges. Nigeria continued to grapple with a severe brain drain as thousands of health professionals migrated abroad. In April, the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, disclosed that over 16,000 doctors had left the country in the last five to seven years. Describing the trend as a “silent but serious emergency,” Pate warned that many communities were being left without adequate healthcare services and called for better working conditions and ethical global recruitment practices.

Industrial actions further strained the system. In September, the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) embarked on a warning strike over unpaid salaries and allowances, which later escalated into an indefinite strike from November 1 to 29, disrupting services in public hospitals nationwide. Similarly, the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) and the Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations (AHPA) commenced an indefinite strike on November 15 over the non-implementation of the adjusted Consolidated Health Salary Structure, paralysing many tertiary and general hospitals.

Amid these challenges, infrastructure development and preventive health interventions offered some relief. In July, the Federal Government commissioned three state-of-the-art oncology centres in Katsina, Enugu and Edo states to boost cancer care. In October, the country launched what was described as its most ambitious integrated vaccination campaign, targeting measles, rubella, HPV, polio, routine immunisation and neglected tropical diseases, to reach over 106 million children nationwide.

Health financing reforms also gathered momentum. The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) intensified efforts to expand insurance coverage to reduce out-of-pocket spending.

Tags: