Nigeria’s Healthcare Crisis: A Pharmacist’s Honest Reflection on What Really Ails the System - Pharm. Joseph Ebirim

Pharm. Joseph Ebirim

As a pharmacist practicing in a typical Nigerian community, one of the most rewarding parts of my profession is understanding how the human body works and helping people make better health decisions. Yet, every day, I’m deeply troubled by how lightly many Nigerians take issues that directly affect their health and that of their loved ones. This concern is what constantly fuels my passion to write and speak about our failing health system.

When Healthcare Suffers from Corruption and Negligence

We often talk about corruption and government negligence as if they are abstract concepts — but they are painfully real in our hospitals. From emergency units running out of oxygen to dirty wards, demotivated staff, and stagnating careers, the story is the same across Nigeria’s public health institutions.

Many healthcare workers struggle with poor salaries, minimal hazard allowances, and the uncertainty of retirement benefits. These are the same individuals expected to deliver quality care when a critically ill patient is rushed in. Meanwhile, revolving hospital funds are mismanaged, and some Chief Medical Directors (CMDs) see their offices as birthrights rather than responsibilities. The result? A broken system where patients pay heavily out-of-pocket yet receive substandard care.

The Cost of Poor Health-Seeking Behaviour

Another major challenge is the culture of delayed health-seeking behaviour. Many Nigerians ignore symptoms or self-medicate — not because they don’t care, but because healthcare is unaffordable. Out-of-pocket payments remain the norm, while functional primary and secondary healthcare centers are largely absent.

It’s high time the government integrated community pharmacies into the primary healthcare framework — a globally recognized best practice that improves accessibility, affordability, and continuity of care.

Open Drug Markets: A Silent Threat to Public Health

Pharmacists have long called for the closure of open drug markets, and not for selfish reasons. These markets are breeding grounds for fake, adulterated, and poorly stored medicines. They also enable the illegal sale of psychoactive drugs by unqualified individuals, worsening Nigeria’s mental health crisis.

Pharmacists are trained professionals who ensure that medicines are properly sourced, stored, dispensed, and monitored. Allowing them to take full charge of the drug supply chain is the only way to protect Nigerians from medicine misuse, addiction, and antibiotic resistance.

The Hidden Costs Behind Drug Prices

Beyond policy failures, the rising cost of transportation, erratic power supply, and taxation burdens are making it harder for pharmacies to operate sustainably. Constant power outages inflate expenses for cold storage, security, and daily operations. The same energy crisis cripples local pharmaceutical manufacturing — a sector that should be driving medicine sufficiency and economic growth.

Good Governance is the Ultimate Cure

Ultimately, improving healthcare in Nigeria goes far beyond constructing new hospital buildings. It requires good governance, intentional investment, and sincere policy reforms that prioritize the health of citizens. From encouraging healthy lifestyles to empowering health professionals and enforcing medicine regulation, every decision matters.

A healthy nation is built not just in hospital wards, but through systems that value human life, integrity, and professionalism at every level.