Constitutional lawyer warns that government cannot adequately reform health sector

Constitutional and human‑rights lawyer Bar. Ikenna Ahumibe has warned that the federal government is unable to effectively reform health care for the benefit of Nigerians.

He maintains that access to health services is a fundamental right, not a luxury, and argues that a government that cannot safeguard the health of its citizens has failed in its core responsibilities.

Ahumibe, who also works as a human‑rights advocate, describes health care as a basic duty of the state and an essential element of the right to life. He lamented that the Nigerian government has already fallen short of this duty, noting that the health system remains hampered by neglect, inadequate infrastructure and flawed policies.

In a statement released to the press yesterday titled “Nigeria’s Constitutional Crisis in the Health Sector, a Direct Call to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for Comprehensive Health Sector Reforms,” Ahumibe condemned the level of decay in the health sector.

He noted that, “with only about 4.2% of the 2026 National Budget devoted to Healthcare, the allocation remains manifestly insufficient and far below established international benchmarks.”

He said, “this systemic failure is further underscored by the increasing exodus of medical professionals from the country. Nigerian doctors continue to emigrate in significant numbers, driven by poor remuneration, persistent non‑payment of salaries resulting in incessant industrial actions, and the deplorable state of medical infrastructure.

“The burden of excessive workload, professional burnout, and limited opportunities for career advancement further compounds this trend.

“Insecurity and policy inconsistency have created an unstable environment for medical practice. Recent data indicates that dozens of Nigerian doctors are kidnapped annually, with incidents on the rise, further underscoring the state’s failure to guarantee the security of healthcare providers.

“Many Nigerians travel from Nigeria to India, UK, USA, Canada and other countries for medical treatment due to gaps in local healthcare – such as outdated equipment, limited specialists and frequent delays in critical care.”

He maintained that facilities like National Hospital Abuja often face capacity and infrastructure challenges, especially for complex conditions like cancer or heart diseases, while healthcare facilities in foreign countries are equipped with advanced technology, experienced consultants, quicker diagnosis giving patients a higher chance of successful outcomes.

“Nigerian loses about $550 million yearly to medical tourism. About 5,000 Nigerians travel monthly for treatment abroad. Each patient spends roughly $20,000 – $40,000 per trip. India alone accounts for large some of this outflow.

“Nigerians deserves truly world‑class hospitals across all the six geopolitical zones to reduce the growing dependence on foreign medical care with modern equipment, well‑trained specialists, and proper funding.

“The country can treat complex conditions, locally restore public confidence in its healthcare system and significantly curb the billions lost annually to medical tourism. Strengthening domestic healthcare is not just necessary it is urgent for national development and patient survival.

“The state of Healthcare in Nigeria today, particularly at the National Hospital Abuja and the Federal Medical Centre Owerri, represents a grave constitutional and moral failure.

“What should be centres of healing have become symbols of systematic neglect, marked by outdated equipment frequent breakdowns, and gross inadequacy of life saving machines.

“At the National Hospital Abuja, critical facilities such as MRI machines, dialysis units, and cancer treatment equipment are either insufficient or poorly maintained.

“Cancer patients and those in need of dialysis are left waiting endlessly owing to a shortage of machines. Some die in queues before ever receiving care.

“Others are turned away and funneled to private hospitals often tied to same consultants where treatment is prohibitively expensive, leaving countless patients to die for lack of funds. This is not mere inefficiency. It is a threat to life.

“In Owerri FMC (Federal Medical Centre) the situation is even more alarming, patients are admitted in Hospital corridors due to lack of space, in conditions that violate basic human dignity. Such treatment offends Sect 34 (1) of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees the dignity of the human person.

“As others are left to suffer, government priorities remain misplaced – diverting attention to projects like coastal roads, sharing of rice rather than swift Reforms to the healthcare system,” he stated.

Ahumibe charged the Minister of Health, Prof. Ali Pate to sit up and revamp the health institutions in the country while calling on the National Assembly to live up to their constitutional and fiduciary duty by acting with decisiveness in the public interest, rather than engaging in practices that suggest budget inflation or participate in contract racketeering, both of which undermine public trust and integrity of governance. Healthcare is not charity, continued neglect goes beyond governance and it is dereliction of duty.