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A cursory look at prominent events that dominated the Nigerian health sector in 2023 showed that it was confronted with multifaceted challenges that further exposed its weakness and ailing nature.
Major events that shaped the sector in 2023 ranged from the outbreak of diphtheria, anthrax disease, and dengue fever, to health workers' migration to foreign countries, poor funding, exit of a major global pharmaceutical company from Nigeria, and soaring prices of essential drugs.
All of these showed that the country is far from achieving Universal Health Coverage and any of the Sustainable Development Goals pegged for 2030.
Brain drain
Many stakeholders in the sector in 2023 raised the alarm over the Japa syndrome (mass exit of medical doctors) and the inadequate number of health workers in the country, describing it as worrisome.
No fewer than 10,296 Nigeria-trained doctors are presently practicing in the United Kingdom, according to the Nigerian Medical Association.
A past President of the NMA, Professor Mike Ogirima, said the massive migration of Nigerian health workers to foreign countries, mostly in search of greener pastures, has taken its toll on the few doctors left in the system.
Diphtheria outbreak
The year under review began in January with an outbreak of diphtheria, a vaccine-preventable disease in three states which later spread to 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory, claiming many lives.
Health experts blamed the resurgence of the bacterial infection and the associated high-case fatality on a combination of low vaccination among children, who are considered most vulnerable to the disease, and the absence of diphtheria antitoxin during the early stage of the outbreak.
FG confirms first anthrax case in Nigeria
The Federal Government on July 17 confirmed the first case of anthrax in Nigeria, stating that the disease was detected in a farm in Niger State.
The FG had earlier alerted the general public to the outbreak of anthrax disease in some neighbouring countries within the West African sub-region and advised Nigerians to desist from consuming hides, otherwise known as ponmo, at the moment.
Exit of GSK
In August, British multinational drugmaker and biotechnology company, GlaxoSmithKline, announced its exit from Nigeria after 51 years of operation.
Since its exit, the prices of drugs produced by the company have reportedly skyrocketed, becoming scarce.
Pharmacists said GSK's departure was a minus for the pharmaceutical industry because most pharmacies in Nigeria have one thing or the other to do with GSK, so shutting its operations was not a good signal for the pharmaceutical industry in Nigeria.
'>Doctors' strike
The health sector also witnessed health workers' strikes which have become part of Nigeria's healthcare system, and usually take a heavy toll on helpless patients who struggle to pay for healthcare out-of-pocket.
The National Association of Resident Doctors on August 11 ended a three-week strike to press for a pay rise after the removal of fuel subsidy.
