The World waits; As Nigeria goes to the Polls

 
               


On Saturday the 28th of March 2015, the most populous nation in Africa will be electing their next president. 

It's been a long wait as the elections were postponed by six weeks.

In a country where the current most popular word is #change, the People believe their vote on Saturday, can produce the much needed and awaited change in the country through an improved government. The looming question is this, will a change in government result in an improved health care system for the people, especially the Nigerians at the bottom of the socio-economic ladder?

Why should the World care about this election; One would ask ?

This Nation is one of the key gate-ways to Africa as it houses the continent's largest economy and it is also the most populous nation in the continent .

WHO estimated the total Nigerian population at 173,615,000 in 2013.

The country has gone through a wave of development in recent years, some of which has been sustained while others just dwindled off. The telecoms, banking, music and film industry : Nollywood seem to be running the show currently, while education and health are at the bottom of the list.

The health indices for the nation are not encouraging neither are we sure of their accuracy, as a result of the displacement of people due to religious and political conflicts, terrorism, misunderstanding / lack of cooperation between the government and the people in some regions, especially Northern Nigeria.

As the millennium development goals expire this year, Nigeria is not anywhere on the list of the nations that are close to achieving  some of the set goals, especially the health and sanitation related goals; MDG 4, 5, 6 and 7. 

 MDG 4 :  To reduce child mortality 
 MDG 5  : To improve maternal health   
 MDG 6  : To combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases   
 MDG 7 :  To  ensure environmental sustainability.

A lot needs to be done to improve the health sector. The health facilities currently are ill equipped nationally, with only a few of the better equipped teaching hospitals managing to serve the massively populated country. 

The community primary health care centres are also nothing to write home about. The doctor patient ratio is still 39/100,000 people.

In 2011, Nigeria was said to have been ranked number two in the world for maternal mortality. It was then recorded that 10% of the maternal deaths that occur in the world annually takes place in Nigeria. Maternal mortality rate has dropped from 610/100,000 live births in 2010  to 560/100000 live births in 2013.

With most of the deaths arising from preventable causes such as maternal haemorrhage, post-partum infection, anaemia and the likes.

The under five mortality figures are also alarming and was said to be 158/1000 live births in 2011. 20% of all under five mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa takes place here !

Preventable causes such as childhood diarrhea, childhood infections: malaria, pneumonia, vaccine preventable diseases such as measles, and poverty which culminates in a poor health seeking behavior are top on the list of the causes of the soaring figures. 

The percentage of the Nigerian budget allocated to health has failed to meet the 15% target which followed the Abuja declaration in 2001. Despite the Abuja + 12 summit which took place again in Abuja in July 2013, where about 50 heads of state which form the African Union came together again to see how far the countries have come on the fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

In 2014 a mere 6% of the budget was still allocated to health.

As the presidential election comes up tomorrow, the stage is set for the much desired change in Africa's  most populus nation.

This is a call to action !  Will the Nigerians vote for change and turn things around for themselves and the world at large.

#forabetterworld !