Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has said his administration is investing savings from fuel subsidy removal and foreign exchange reforms into healthcare and other key sectors of the economy.
In his national broadcast to mark Nigeria’s 65th Independence anniversary, Mr Tinubu said the government’s reforms were designed not only to stabilise the economy but also to expand access to essential services such as hospitals and education.
“Our administration has redirected the economy towards a more inclusive path, channeling money to fund education, healthcare, national security, agriculture, and critical economic infrastructure,” he stated.
Struggling sector
Since Mr Tinubu assumed office in May 2023, PREMIUM TIMES has reported extensively on the continued deficiencies in Nigeria’s healthcare system.
These include prolonged strikes by doctors and nurses over unpaid wages and poor working conditions, as well as the dilapidated state of health facilities across the country.
Rising maternal and child mortality rates and limited access to quality primary healthcare remain pressing concerns, despite successive administrations’ promises of reform.
Progress in healthcare since independence
The president recalled that Nigerians now have better access to healthcare compared to 1960, noting that the sector has grown alongside education, infrastructure and telecommunications.
“Nigerians today have access to better education and healthcare than in 1960. We have experienced a significant surge in growth across every sector of our national life since Independence-in healthcare, infrastructure, financial services, manufacturing, telecommunications, information technology, aviation and defence,” he said.
He added that hospitals would remain a major part of the federal government’s infrastructure drive.
“We must construct the schools our children will attend and the hospitals that will care for our people,” the president said.
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Renewed hope agenda
Although Mr Tinubu did not announce new health-specific programmes, he said his government would continue to prioritise healthcare as part of its Renewed Hope agenda.
He assured Nigerians that the sacrifices they are making through ongoing reforms would translate into improved services in hospitals and across the wider health sector.
