Health Policy Research Group, University of Nigeria stretches research into urban health

With an estimated urban population growth rate of 4.3%, Nigeria’s urban population is expected to double by 2050.[1] The notable consequence of the rapid urbanisation that is taking place in the country is the expansion and increase in numbers of informal settlements within and around large cities. These informal settlements, referred to as urban slums, are characterised by poor housing, lack of basic amenities and poor access to urban resources, including health, nutrition and education.

Rapid urbanisation and the growth of unplanned urban slums have necessitated global attention towards ensuring social inclusion and equitable access to urban resources, particularly for vulnerable groups. A critical area of intense concern in Nigeria, and other low resource settings, is access to comprehensive and quality health services in urban slums. Urban slums have a relatively higher burden of communicable disease, and this can be attributed to overcrowding, poor ventilation, low economic status, and low literacy level. Moreover, financial access to quality healthcare for urban slum dwellers is further limited due to lack of social health insurance and heavy reliance on out-of-pocket payments. Hence, ensuring access to quality and affordable healthcare for this group of people should be prioritised.

Informal healthcare providers (IHPs) are a crucial source of healthcare in urban slums, essentially filling the gap caused by the absence of formal healthcare providers (FHPs). Informal healthcare providers include patent medicine vendors (PMVs), village health workers, traditional birth attendants (TBA), traditional healers and itinerant (travelling) drugs vendors, among others. These categories of IHPs are ubiquitous, they provide affordable healthcare to the urban poor, and they enjoy the patronage and confidence of slum dwellers. However, the health services they can provide to clients are limited to their skills and capacities, and there are legitimate concerns about the quality of health care that is provided by IHPs [250 words left]

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COVID-19 containment and coordination strategies in Nigeria and lessons from four other African countries

COVID-19 pandemic will forever remain a major disruption of global activities and lifestyles. However, conversations have rapidly shifted from the dreadedness of the pandemic to the actions and inactions of systems in combating its spread and ameliorating its devastating effects. The pandemic appears to have affected different locations differently, of which there are clinical, public health, economic and social explanations to such dynamics. While it looks as though Africa has one of the least occurrences of fatalities arising from COVID-19, it is never in doubt that the continent has had its fair share of the effects of the pandemic, and some have indeed been extreme. Therefore, to encourage better health emergency responses, it is needful to reflect. The continent needs to look inward to understand its strengths, weaknesses, limitations, and prospects, for the purpose of improving its public health space and better positioned to challenge health emergencies, going forward.

Inspired by the African Health Observatory – Platform on Health Systems and Policies (AHOP), COVID-19 containment and coordination strategies across five African countries, including Nigeria, were evaluated. As quoted from an AHOP document: “[…] Threats of new variants loom and low vaccination coverage raises questions on the future of the response to COVID-19. Prevention remains the key strategy in most sub-Saharan countries. Below, five National Centres (NCs) from the African Health Observatory Platform on Health Systems and Policies (AHOP), based in Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda and Senegal, reflect on lessons to be learnt from their coordination and containment responses in the initial phases. They construct timelines to highlight the policies and challenges associated with introducing a range of public health containment measures and discuss the extent to which these measures continue to be valuable given the ever-changing nature of the pandemic.”

To read the report on COVID-19 coordination strategies across the five African countries, kindly click here to download

And to read the report on COVID-19 containment strategies across the five African countries as well, kindly click here to download

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