Amid a 2026 health budget allocating just N2.48 trillion, or roughly 4 percent of the national budget to the sector, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) Lagos chapter has demanded a major shift in spending, calling for primary healthcare to receive 60–70 percent of funds to improve accessibility and outcomes.
Speaking on a televised interview, NMA Lagos chairman, Babajide Saheed, stressed that primary healthcare is the backbone of any effective health system, providing accessible, preventive, and community-based medical services.
He warned that without substantial investment at this level, national health outcomes will continue to suffer, regardless of spending on secondary or tertiary care.
“I have always said it, and I will continue to say it; governments at the federal, state, and local levels are not listening. Primary healthcare is the most important component of our health sector”, Saheed said.
Saheed highlighted that Nigeria’s current healthcare funding structure disproportionately favors higher-level hospitals, leaving primary care under-resourced and understaffed.
“Primary healthcare should take priority, about 60 to 70 percent of the budget, followed by secondary and tertiary care. Neglecting primary healthcare undermines the entire system. Any country without strong primary care has a failing health system, and unfortunately, that is what we are seeing in Nigeria”, he said.
Using Lagos State as an example, Saheed pointed to the inadequacy of existing infrastructure. With roughly 300 primary healthcare centers serving over 20 million residents, he questioned whether these facilities could meet basic medical needs.
“And how many of these centers even have doctors?” he added, underscoring chronic staffing shortages.
The call comes amid criticism of the Federal Government’s health sector allocation for 2026, which the NMA describes as grossly insufficient, equating to roughly N10,400 per Nigerian annually, far below what is needed for effective primary care.
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