By Chinedu Adonu
A Professor of Public Health and Health Systems Economics at the University of Nigeria, Prof. Chima Onoka, has said that research alone cannot transform Nigeria’s healthcare system without effective policy implementation and political engagement.
Onoka stated this while delivering the 241st Inaugural Lecture of the university titled, “Bridging the Divide: The Pracademic’s Mandate in the Quest for Universal Health Coverage.”
He said Nigeria’s healthcare reforms require professionals who combine academic expertise with practical policy, advocacy, and implementation skills, describing such individuals as “pracademics.”
According to him, although Nigeria has sufficient research evidence for healthcare reform, progress toward Universal Health Coverage has remained slow due to political interests, bureaucracy, and poor policy execution.
Onoka described universal health coverage as “a power problem,” stressing that many reforms threaten entrenched interests controlling public resources and healthcare financing.
He lamented Nigeria’s heavy dependence on out-of-pocket healthcare spending, revealing that citizens fund about 72 per cent of healthcare costs directly.
The professor estimated Nigeria’s healthcare financing gap at between ₦157 trillion and ₦236 trillion over the next decade but said improved efficiency and better resource allocation could reduce the burden.
He commended reforms by the National Health Insurance Authority and praised the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund for expanding access to healthcare services.
Onoka further warned that without stronger financial protection mechanisms, Nigeria’s healthcare system would continue to push citizens into poverty.
In his remarks, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Josaphat Onwumere, described the lecture as intellectually enriching and practically relevant.
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