Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A coalition of civil society organisations has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately declare a state of emergency in Nigeria's health sector, passing a vote of no confidence on the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, over what it described as his failure to address the country's worsening healthcare crisis.
The Coalition of Concerned Nigerians on Health Reform made the appeal on Thursday, July 2, 2026, during a press conference in Abuja, where members said the nation's healthcare system had reached a critical point where routine policy interventions were no longer sufficient. The coalition warned that millions of Nigerians are paying the price through delayed treatment, avoidable deaths, and declining access to quality healthcare.
Presenting figures from the Ordinary General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, the coalition's Coordinator, Muniretu Isa, disclosed that only about 55,000 licensed doctors are currently available to serve a population of more than 220 million Nigerians. The coalition said the shortage has placed enormous pressure on hospitals, leading to long waiting times, delayed emergency care, and limited access to specialist services, particularly in rural communities where many primary healthcare centres lack adequate personnel, medicines, and equipment. The group said the continued migration of doctors and other healthcare professionals abroad has left hospitals increasingly understaffed, with those who remain attending to overwhelming numbers of patients under extremely difficult conditions.
The coalition expressed concern over the poor state of public hospitals, saying many facilities continue to struggle with obsolete medical equipment, unreliable electricity supply, inadequate laboratory services, insufficient hospital beds, and ageing infrastructure. It lamented that many tertiary hospitals lack modern diagnostic tools, while numerous primary healthcare centres remain either poorly equipped or completely non-functional.
The group further observed that rising medicine prices, inflation, and Nigeria's heavy dependence on imported pharmaceuticals have made healthcare increasingly unaffordable for many citizens. The coalition warned that patients can no longer afford treatment for chronic illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes, cancer, kidney disease, and heart conditions.
The coalition also highlighted recurring industrial disputes involving healthcare workers, attributing them to poor remuneration, unpaid allowances, delayed salaries, inadequate recruitment, poor working conditions, obsolete medical equipment, deteriorating hospital infrastructure, and the government's failure to fully implement agreements reached with health sector unions.
In a significant escalation, the coalition passed a vote of no confidence in Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, describing the continued exodus of healthcare professionals as one of the greatest threats facing the country. The coalition warned that Nigeria continues to invest in training doctors, nurses, and other specialists whose expertise ultimately benefits foreign healthcare systems.
"We have lost confidence in Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate as the Coordinating Minister of Health," Isa declared. "The crisis confronting our healthcare system has reached a level where ordinary policy measures are no longer sufficient. Millions of Nigerians are paying the price through delayed treatment, avoidable deaths and declining access to quality healthcare."
The coalition urged President Tinubu to relieve Pate of his appointment and launch a comprehensive recovery programme for the health sector, including emergency recruitment and retention of healthcare workers, improved remuneration and welfare packages, full implementation of agreements with health sector unions, substantial investment in hospitals and primary healthcare centres, modernisation of medical equipment, expansion of residency training, increased healthcare funding, broader health insurance coverage, and a comprehensive strategy to reverse the brain drain.
The coalition maintained that healthcare is both a constitutional and moral obligation of government, stressing that Nigeria cannot build a productive economy or attract sustainable investment while its healthcare system continues to deteriorate. It concluded that with a shrinking healthcare workforce, overstretched hospitals, and declining public confidence, the time had come for decisive action.
"We therefore call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to declare a State of Emergency in Nigeria's Health Sector before this crisis deepens beyond repair," Isa declared.
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