Pandemic and the Nigerian Private Health Sector : COVID-19 as a Case Study

Abstract

Global health problem is a summation of individual health challenges of communities, nations and continents. Notable pandemics in human history include, small pox pandemic, the plague. Influenza pandemic. HIV/AIDS pandemic and Covid-19 pandemic. This is a review article done by conducting a search on google and pubmed in English by typing the word pandemic, covid-19 pandemic, World Health Organization (WHO), human immunodeficiency virus, plaque. The most recent pandemic was the covid 19 pandemic which has divided the health history of mankind to pre covid 19 pandemic era, covid 19 pandemic era and post covid 19 pandemic era. One of the route by which Nigerians got infected is through an Italian who came to Lagos and travelled to Abeokuta in Ogun State southwest Nigeria. Many private medical practitioners experienced a reduction in turnout during the pandemic. Covid 19 pandemic in Nigeria reduced medical tourism, increased healthcare funding and use of telemedicine. However, there was loss of manpower in health sector, stricter measure by health regulatory bodies, increased procurement of personal protective equipment, paucity of data on covid 19, viral mutation, malaria mimicry and endemicity etc. As a way forward, during pandemic period in Nigeria, information dissemination among private practitioners is key. The World Health Organization is hereby advised that a global body/center for pandemic preparedness and response is needed with regional and national branches as needed. There is a need by the WHO to enforce the implementation of budgetary allocation to health in countries that are yet to comply.