Professor Pat Utomi has called out Nigeria’s failing healthcare system.
He recently revealed that Nigeria is slowly plunging into a full-blown health crisis.
Speaking during an exclusive session with Good Health Weekly, Utomi shared that with a strategic shift in priorities, the country can save hundreds of thousands of Nigerian lives each year.
According to him, while there is still hope for redemption, the contrast between lavish infrastructure spending and citizens’ basic medical needs is very concerning.
He stated that several billions of naira keep going to infrastructure while Nigerians struggle with basic quality healthcare.
“Billions are being poured into mega projects like the $11 billion Eko Atlantic–Calabar Highway, the $4 billion Lagos–Abuja Super-Highway, and a $100 million presidential jet, yet ordinary Nigerians struggle to access quality healthcare.
Education and healthcare are universally acknowledged as the surest investments in national prosperity. Yet in Nigeria, both remain neglected,” he said.
Citing data from the World Health Organisation that places Nigeria’s life expectancy at 62.2 years, almost 12 years below the global average, Utomi noted that the number of preventable deaths keeps soaring.
He concluded by saying that the real life expectancy for many Nigerians could be as low as 45 years nowadays.
“Independent estimates suggest it may be closer to 56, and for many Nigerians, real life expectancy could be as low as 45.
One in every eight Nigerian children dies before the age of five,” he added.
