Amidst the myriad of health challenges faced by Nigerians occasioned by issues such as fake and counterfeit drugs, incessant industrial actions by health workers, heavy reliance on imported drugs and acute shortage of medical personnel, the latest Consumer Price Index report released by the National Bureau of Statistics showed that while overall inflation eased to 15.10 per cent year-on-year in January 2026, health inflation accelerated significantly from 20.09 per cent recorded in January 2025 `thereby bringing the healthcare inflation to 30.5% in the first month of this year.
This is alarming. It is coming at a time when the life expectancy rate in Nigeria, according to the United Nations is put at between 54.8 and 56.4 years which is far below the global average of 73.7 years. The UN position places the country at 232nd position in the world, behind countries like Somalia, Burundi, North and South Sudan.
Apart from the sad economic realities that have brought about the healthcare pains on the citizens, Nigeria is one of the countries in the world hit by poor performances in the health sector. There are more than four trade unions in the sector involved in what appears more like superiority contests among themselves.
The Joint Health Sector Union, JOHESU as a group identity ordinarily provides an impression that it is the umbrella body for all health workers. But unfortunately, it is not. No year, in the recent time had passed without at least two of these groups embarking on industrial action to draw the attention of government to one area of their needs or the other..
This is in addition to the general actions instigated by the overall trade union – the Nigeria Labour Congress, (NLC) or the Trade Union Congress, (TUC). To worsen matters, many of the Medical Consultants in Teaching Hospitals also form majority of the lecturers in the nation’s medical schools who equally partake in strike actions declared by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU thereby contributing heavily to the poor education of today’s medical doctors in the country.
Arising from the report of the National Bureau-of Statistics and the current economic challenges faced by Nigeria, especially as it affects health care delivery, it is not out of place for the governments at all levels to begin to embrace traditional medicine as part of the solutions to the health systems challenges. This is particularly so as there is growing acceptance of traditional healing methods globally.
A recent research carried out by an India-based global market research organisation, Fortune Business Insights show that herbal market share in the health sector around the world stood at $216b in 2023 with a projection of $233b in 2024 and growth to $437b in 2032. This is a huge market for countries like Nigeria where herbs abound.
The World Health Organisation, WHO defines traditional and complementary medicine, TCM as a broad set of health-care practices, approaches, knowledge, and beliefs that include plant, animal and mineral-based medicines; exercises, all of which can be used alone or in conjunction with others.
It is therefore worthy for the country to begin to emulate the giant strides being recorded by countries such as India, China and the U.S.A in this regard. To underscore the premium paid to alternative medicine by India, few years ago, she donated a whopping sum of $85m to the World Health Organisation as an advance contribution and part of the $250m she proposed towards the development of the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre (GTMC) – a knowledge centre for traditional medicine.
Though challenging, this requires that the various traditional medicine boards across the nation be strengthened with government-assisted research and knowledge advancement for practitioners that are educatable. With research centres in some of the country’s Universities, Nigeria can come up with credible alternative health care system that can compete favorably with what obtains currently in places like India and China. It is only a matter of time!
But beyond all of this, the government must be fast about remedying the present situation by heavily subsidizing healthcare services.
The recent import wavers granted to importers of medicine-related items into the country must be made to work according to the president’s intention.
