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Is Nigeria on course to achieve universal health coverage in the context of its epidemiological and financing transition? A knowledge, capacity and policy gap analysis (a qualitative study).

Publication ,  Journal Article
Ogundeji, YK; Tinuoye, O; Bharali, I; Mao, W; Ohiri, K; Ogbuoji, O; Orji, N; Yamey, G
Published in: BMJ open
March 2023

This study aimed to assess Nigeria's preparedness to finance and drive the universal health coverage (UHC) agenda within the context of changing health conditions and resource needs associated with the disease, demographic and funding transitions.Nigeria is undergoing transitions in the healthcare system that include a double burden of infectious and non-communicable diseases, and transition from concessional donor assistance towards domestic financing for health. These transitions will affect Nigeria's attainment of UHC.We conducted a qualitative study, including semistructured interviews with relevant stakeholders at national and subnational levels in Nigeria. Data from the interviews were analysed using thematic analysis.Our study involved 18 respondents from government ministries, departments, and agencies, development partners, civil society organisations and academia.Capacity gaps identified by respondents included limited knowledge to implement health insurance schemes at subnational levels, poor information/data management to monitor progress towards UHC and limited communication and interagency collaboration between government agencies and ministries. Furthermore, participants in our study expressed those current policies driving major health reforms like the National Health Act (basic healthcare provision fund) appear adequate to support UHC advancement in theory, but policy implementation is a key challenge due to a lack of policy awareness, low government spending on health and poor evidence generation for information to support decisions.Our study found major gaps in knowledge and capacity for UHC advancement in the context of Nigeria's demographic, epidemiological and financing transitions. These included poor knowledge of demographic transitions, poor capacity for health insurance implementation at subnational levels, low government spending on health, poor policy implementation and poor communication and collaboration among stakeholders. To address these challenges, collaborative efforts are needed to bridge knowledge gaps and increase policy awareness through targeted knowledge products, improved communication and interagency collaboration.

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Published In

BMJ open

DOI

EISSN

2044-6055

ISSN

2044-6055

Publication Date

March 2023

Volume

13

Issue

3

Start / End Page

e064710

Related Subject Headings

  • Universal Health Insurance
  • Policy Making
  • Policy
  • Nigeria
  • Insurance, Health
  • Humans
  • Healthcare Financing
  • Health Policy
  • 52 Psychology
  • 42 Health sciences
 

Citation

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Ogundeji, Y. K., Tinuoye, O., Bharali, I., Mao, W., Ohiri, K., Ogbuoji, O., … Yamey, G. (2023). Is Nigeria on course to achieve universal health coverage in the context of its epidemiological and financing transition? A knowledge, capacity and policy gap analysis (a qualitative study). BMJ Open, 13(3), e064710. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2022-064710
Ogundeji, Yewande Kofoworola, Oluwabambi Tinuoye, Ipchita Bharali, Wenhui Mao, Kelechi Ohiri, Osondu Ogbuoji, Nneka Orji, and Gavin Yamey. “Is Nigeria on course to achieve universal health coverage in the context of its epidemiological and financing transition? A knowledge, capacity and policy gap analysis (a qualitative study).BMJ Open 13, no. 3 (March 2023): e064710. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2022-064710.
Ogundeji, Yewande Kofoworola, et al. “Is Nigeria on course to achieve universal health coverage in the context of its epidemiological and financing transition? A knowledge, capacity and policy gap analysis (a qualitative study).BMJ Open, vol. 13, no. 3, Mar. 2023, p. e064710. Epmc, doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2022-064710.

Published In

BMJ open

DOI

EISSN

2044-6055

ISSN

2044-6055

Publication Date

March 2023

Volume

13

Issue

3

Start / End Page

e064710

Related Subject Headings

  • Universal Health Insurance
  • Policy Making
  • Policy
  • Nigeria
  • Insurance, Health
  • Humans
  • Healthcare Financing
  • Health Policy
  • 52 Psychology
  • 42 Health sciences