The Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association in Lagos State, Dr Babajide Saheed, has urged governments at all levels to dramatically increase funding for primary healthcare, insisting that it should receive 60 to 70 per cent of the entire health budget.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Morning Brief on Monday, Dr Saheed described primary healthcare as the backbone of any effective health system, warning that Nigeria’s continued neglect of the sector is weakening national health outcomes.
“I have always said it, and I will keep saying it, the federal, state and local governments are not listening,” he noted.
“Primary healthcare is the most important part of the healthcare delivery system.”
He argued that government spending remains heavily skewed toward secondary and tertiary hospitals while the foundational level of care which focuses on prevention, early treatment and community health — is left underfunded.
“Primary healthcare should take about 60 to 70 per cent of the budgetary allocation, then secondary care, and lastly tertiary care,” he said.
Dr. Saheed warned that countries that fail to strengthen their primary health systems ultimately struggle to deliver quality care.
“Any country that has no functional primary healthcare system has a failed health system,” he said. “We are already experiencing that failure in Nigeria.”
Using Lagos as an example, he said the state’s current infrastructure is insufficient for its population of over 20 million. “Lagos has about 300 primary care centres, but that number cannot meet the needs of the entire state,” he explained.
He also questioned staffing levels across these centres, asking, “Out of these 300, how many actually have doctors?”
His comments come amid criticism of the Federal Government’s 2026 budget, which earmarks about N2.48 trillion roughly 4% of national spending — for the health sector.
According to the NMA, this amounts to only N10,400 per citizen, a figure the association has repeatedly described as inadequate.
