The Nigerian health system has been described by many analysts as “relatively weak, in a crisis state, characterized by poorly paid and demotivated staff, who are sometimes owed several months’ wages, poor welfare, and a lack of basic facilities, equipment, and working tools.”

In addition, the system faces unacceptably low doctor-patient and nurse-patient ratios, alongside inadequate staffing of health facilities. Other persistent challenges include the frequent industrial actions and strikes resulting from conflicts and struggles for supremacy among various categories of health workers.

These challenges have largely been traced to weak leadership at all levels—from the very top where health issues are not prioritized by government, to the politicization of health infrastructure distribution, lopsided appointments, and inequitable placement of health workers across regions.