Health sector unions across West Africa have raised fresh concerns over the worsening state of healthcare delivery in the region, citing massive workforce shortages, rising insecurity, and poor funding as major threats to public health systems.
The concerns were tabled at the 25th Plenary Session of the West African Health Sector Unions Network (WAHSUN) held in Abuja, where the Chairperson, Comrade (Dr.) Kabiru Ado Sani Minjibir, warned that Africa’s health sector is under severe strain due to years of neglect and policy failures.
“Africa accounts for about 10 percent of the global population and 25 percent of the global disease burden, yet has access to roughly four percent of the world’s health workforce,” Minjibir said. “We are operating at barely one-third of the workforce capacity required to deliver essential health services.”
He described the growing migration of health professionals from the region as alarming, noting that “nurses, doctors, pharmacists and allied health workers are departing at a rate our health systems cannot absorb,” largely due to poor remuneration, unsafe working conditions, and limited career opportunities.
Minjibir also highlighted the impact of insecurity on health workers, particularly in conflict-prone areas, stating that attacks on health facilities have increased while hundreds of health workers were killed in 2024 alone.
“A health worker who fears for their life cannot provide quality care. Safety is not a welfare request, it is a precondition for health service delivery,” he said.
He further decried the condition of community health workers across the region, noting that over 80 percent are not formally employed or paid despite serving as the backbone of primary healthcare delivery.
“Governments classify them as volunteers, but in truth they are the foundation of our health systems. We demand formal employment status, fair wages and clear career pathways,” he added.
On health financing, the WAHSUN chair criticised African governments for failing to meet the 15 percent budgetary allocation to health agreed under the Abuja Declaration, pointing out that Nigeria allocated about six percent in its 2026 budget.
“We are not asking governments to do anything extraordinary. We are asking them to honour a commitment made over two decades ago,” he said.
Responding, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, acknowledged the challenges facing the sector but insisted that Nigeria is making progress in repositioning its health system.
“Health is not cheap. It is a political choice,” Pate said. “Wherever you see a strong health system, it is because governments and societies have chosen to invest in it.”
He noted that Nigeria’s six percent allocation to health in the 2026 budget represents the highest in about two decades, adding that efforts are ongoing to improve funding and service delivery.
“We are moving in the right direction. What is important now is to ensure that these allocations are released and effectively utilised,” he said.
The minister disclosed that government interventions have expanded healthcare funding to over 8,000 primary health facilities, with plans to scale up to 13,000, alongside ongoing training of frontline health workers.
On labour relations, Pate assured health unions of government’s commitment to resolving outstanding issues through dialogue.
“We are committed to achieving a fair and lasting resolution of all longstanding issues through the Collective Bargaining Agreement process,” he said.
He also emphasised the need for regional collaboration, noting that health challenges transcend national borders.
“What happens in one country affects others. We must work collectively to strengthen our health systems to meet the needs of our people,” he added.
The WAHSUN plenary brought together health sector unions and stakeholders from across West Africa to deliberate on strategies for strengthening public healthcare delivery, workforce protection, equity, and universal health coverage in the region.