In spite of enormous challenges facing the country’s healthcare delivery system, the outgoing administration of President Muhammadu Buhari made some significant interventions in key areas, It is on record that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari rallied the other two tiers of government and the private sector to make huge interventions in the previously-neglected health sector during the outbreak of COVID-19.
Also, as part of the efforts of the outgoing President Buhari-led administration to address the serious health challenges posed by the cancer disease and the lack of facilities to manage patients down the aliment, the federal government successfully deployed $10 million from the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority to build a world-class Cancer Treatment Centre at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, in 2018.
Another milestone recorded by the administration was the establishment of the National Emergency Medical System and the Emergency Ambulance Scheme. The introduction of this hospital care initiative will no doubt improve on the response time for treatment of patients especially during emergency situations. Another area the outgoing administration excelled in the health sector was the effort to check further spread of HIV-AIDS in the country.
However, it was not all bed of roses for the health sector as the country has also recorded very worrisome health indices. Recently, Nigeria’s Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo said the country presently loses 2,500 children under the age of five everyday due to largely preventable causes.