The Right to Health in Nigeria

Abstract

This paper is not an doctrinal exposition of the human right to health or its application to Nigeria. Instead, it is an analysis of key public health issues impacting upon the actualization of the right in the country. More of a report, its objective is to present a reliable account of the numerous factors responsible for the poor state of the health system. It calls for a frontal assault on these challenges, arguing that their elimination is a sine qua non for rebuilding the health system and improving the health and overall well-being of the population. Policy makers and other stakeholders would find this paper especially useful in two important respect: first, as a tool for evaluating the state of health in the country; and, second, as a guide to future development of the health system.

Keywords: Nigeria, health, health care

JEL Classification: I12, I18, I31