Nigerian Health Sector Research Articles

Mothers’ choice of health management services for under-five children with common illnesses: evaluating social workers’ impact in Nigerian health sector

ABSTRACT Introduction Every child deserves the right to life. In Nigeria like other African countries, a high burden of child mortality prevails. Attaining a low-mortality rate of children entails that mothers who are the primary caregivers are in the best position to provide quality healthcare management. Method With the phenomenological approach in qualitative research, the researchers sourced data using Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and In-Depth Interviews (IDI) from 38 mothers of various categories. The participants were purposively selected from four government and mission health institutions in a semi-urban Nsukka town, Enugu State. Data were analyzed thematically. Findings Results revealed that mothers utilize health institutions including government, mission, private, pharmacies and patent medicine vendors when seeking healthcare for their children. Their inability to recognize potential life-threatening conditions is the leading factor in increasing child mortality. Findings show that because participants were concerned about financial challenges; they were ready to adopt traditional medicine as an alternative to modern medicine. The study showed evidence of unsafe strategies mothers adopt for the health management of their under-five children with common illnesses. Participants indicated little knowledge of social workers’ engagement in health institutions. Conclusion Healthy living is essential in the protection from illnesses. Since under-five children are vulnerable to illnesses, their mothers should provide them with quality healthcare management. The study recommends that social workers’ engagement with health providers and users in semi-urban societies could help propagate healthcare awareness and strategies in mothers’ choice of health management for under-five children in Nigeria. Overall, adequate health policy consideration should be given to all under-five children in Nigeria.

Effect of Self-Determination Theory (SDT) Elements on the Retention of Nurses at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), Calabar, Nigeria

This research investigated the effect of self-determination theory (SDT) elements on the retention of nurses at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) in Calabar, Nigeria. The primary focus was to analyze how SDT components like autonomy, competence, and relatedness influence nurse retention at UCTH. Utilizing a cross-sectional research design, the study collected primary data via structured questionnaires from 206 general nurses at UCTH. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data, and multiple regression was employed to test the hypotheses. The results indicated that SDT factors—autonomy, competence, and relatedness—had significant positive effects on nurse retention at UCTH. These results underscore the critical importance of nurturing self-determination motivation elements in public hospitals like UCTH to improve nurse retention. Therefore, the study advised that public hospital managers in Nigeria should establish a supportive work environment that promotes nurses' independence in patient care and evaluation. It is also essential to prioritize continuous training and skill enhancement to elevate technical proficiency and the quality of patient care. Furthermore, fostering a culture of social interaction and professional relationships among staff is key to boosting nurses' sense of belonging and worth in the workplace. The study also highlighted the need for extensive research to gain a deeper understanding of the link between SDT factors and employee retention in Nigerian healthcare. Future research should encompass other healthcare professionals in addition to nurses to offer comprehensive insights for effective retention strategies in the Nigerian public health sector.

Nigerian Climate Change and Its Effects on Environmental and Human Health: A Narrative Review

Nigeria's human and environmental health is severely impacted by climate change related phenomena such as flooding, air pollution, droughts, erosion, etc. The effects of climate change on environmental and human health in Nigeria suggests that it is now urgent to take health concerns into account when making mitigation and adaptation plans for the effects of climate change. For the Nigerian health sector to be managed effectively, mitigation and adaptation methods are consequently required. The methods for increasing resilience and decreasing vulnerability for environmental sustainability and health in Nigeria are described in this paper. It also highlights the critical need of educating Nigerian institutions and communities about the effects of climate change on human and environmental health as well as creative solutions, such as planned tree planting events, environmentally friendly green technology, and awareness campaigns for sustainable development in Nigeria. The work is highly noteworthy due to the fact that it investigates novel avenues for mitigation and adaptation to the effects of climate change on human and environmental health in Nigeria.

Health Sector Industrial Labour Troubles in Nigeria: Implication for Leaders and Other Stakeholders

Nigeria’s health sector has been challenged with frequent industrial labour troubles, commonly called strikes. Industrial labour disputes are the existence of incompatibility of goals, interests, and values of different persons or groups in an organization. Several causes have been identified for the strikes in Nigeria. This review focuses on the various causes of industrial troubles in Nigeria, and the consequences of the industrial action on the stakeholders. Causes were identified as: poor administration, incompetent leaders, the failure of government to keep the agreement that was signed with the unions, poor funding and poor infrastructure in the health sector, and supremacy challenge between doctors and other health workers were identified amongst other factors to be the cause of strikes in the Nigerian health sector. Unfortunately, patients were the greatest affected during these strikes, especially when the public health facilities were shut down and the patients were discharged to go home or moved to other private hospitals.

The Adoption of Information System Technology in Piloting the Current State of Health Institution in Tier Three Nations

This article is a pragmatic approach on the evaluation and implementation of the health information system as directed in assisting medical institutions to store patients’ health record in an electronic based method. In order to manage lots of information, the health information system comes in handy to sort data, processes and people. The system which consists of a set of interrelated components gathers, stores, and disseminates health or organizational related information of individuals working in the same health sector. All around the world the applications of digital health technology have become vital tools of modern information technology which has aided in the smooth and efficient delivery of quality healthcare. Studies have shown that the success of the electronic health information system implementation in developing countries is still low, and various reasons have however been identified as the cause of this poor outcome. This article is a pragmatic approach on the evaluation of information system technology adoption in the Nigerian health sector. The work focuses on factors that will determine the successful implementation of the health information system in health institutions in Nigeria, and how these factors can be enhanced using the Information System Quality Dimensions (Service Quality, System Quality, and Information Quality) as findings from this study show that attention should be on updating and upgrading the Information System quality dimensions (service Quality, Information Quality, and System Quality) since it reveals that there is a high dependence on these dimensions to bridge the research gap; as results show that there is an overall correlation between the analyzed variables.

Appraisal of Government Recurrent Expenditure Pre- and Post-Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System Implementation in Nigeria

The study appraised government recurrent expenditure pre- and post-Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System implementation in Nigeria. Government recurrent expenditure on general administration, government recurrent expenditure on education, government recurrent expenditure on defence, and government recurrent expenditure on health, formed the dependent variables of the study. The study adopted an ex-post-facto research design, covering the period between 1995 and 2019. Secondary data were extracted from the Central Bank of Nigeria Statistical Bulletin. Paired Sample T-test technique was used for the data analysis. In line with the specific objectives of the study which was to appraise the difference in the mean of government recurrent expenditure on general administration, education, defence, and health pre and post Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System implementation in Nigeria, it was revealed that all the recurrent expenditures studied have a positive and significant difference in mean after IPPIS implementation in Nigeria. This implies that IPPIS has not been able to cutdown government recurrent expenditure in Nigeria. It is recommended therefore that the federal government should adequately monitor and utilize the money saved from recurrent expenditure due to implementation of IPPIS. They should employ more administrative staff using the money saved from eradicated ghost workers. The government should consider an upward review of the educational budget to meet up with the 26% allocation recommended by UNESCO and above. The government should monitor how the huge amount of money spent on defence was appropriated. This will help in preventing and stamping out corruption. An encompassing stakeholders’ forum in the Nigerian health sector remain essential. The national health system needs a solid administrative policy foundation that allows coordination of priorities and partnerships in the health workforce and among various stakeholders. This will help stamp out embezzlement and corruption in the system.

Testing Effects of Job Satisfaction and OCBs on the Relationship between Talent Management and Talented Employee Turnover for Sustainable Human Resource Development in Healthcare

Purpose; The purpose of this study is to better understand the impact of talent management on reducing turnover of talented staff in the Nigerian public health sector. This requires considering the mediating role of both job satisfaction and OCB variables in achieving success at both individual and organisational levels.
 Design/methodology/approach; This study achieves its objective through a conceptual analysis using the lenses of talent management, social exchange theory (SET) and existing literature.
 Findings; This study shows that good talent management is not enough to retain and sustain talented employees in the Nigerian health sector. The partial placement model hypotheses were supported by the SET model, implying that talent management requires both job satisfaction of talented employees and OCB to reduce turnover of talented employees.
 Practical implications; This study enhances the use of the mediating role of job satisfaction and OCBs to better understand the mechanism of talent management in reducing employee turnover within the framework of the social exchange theory model.
 Originality/value; The originality of this study states that effective implementation of talent management in the Nigerian health sector must be complemented with appropriate mechanisms to achieve effective retention of talented employees.

Problems and Prospects of the Nigerian Health Care System

Health care in Nigeria is continually faced with the issue of high demand as its population increases. This demand has consistently met with low accessibility and supply, which is rather devastating to the health system. This study aims to investigate the problems and prospects of the Nigerian health care systems, the extent to which the problem affects the population and what could be done to improve the situation. Secondary data were adopted to generate information relevant to undertake a comparison based data collected from 2013 till 2020. The secondary data were sourced from accessible academic publications, research works and journal from various field of study. The challenges of the Nigerian health sector are numerous and over time have increased due to the increasing population and failure in government policy implementations. Other issues include the reduction in health care sector budget despite the upsurge in insurgency and health hazards such as the COVID-19 pandemic and strike action by health professional over government inability to meet their demands. Increment and more incentives should be given to the medical professionals as a matter of urgency.

Mediating Role of Job Satisfaction on the Relationship between Leadership Styles and Organizational Citizenship Behaviour in Nigerian Health Sector: Conceptual Model

Mediating Role of Job Satisfaction on the Relationship between Leadership Styles and Organizational Citizenship Behaviour in Nigerian Health Sector: Conceptual Model

Work Time Control and Job Crafting as Predictors of Work Method Control Among Health Workers.

Nigerian dilapidated health sector is confronted with unprecedented work method control challenges caused by the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, which has changed the world of work, health, and well-being attainment. The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged work method control employed by the Nigerian health sector as they seek to mobilize leftover resources from embezzlement required to accomplish desired tasks and, as a result, altered the work methods, job descriptions, characteristics, and demands the attainment of organizational and personal goals. Based on Job Demands-Resources Theory (JD-R) and Self-Determination Theory (SDT), the researchers' principal objective was to investigate the moderating role of job crafting in the relationship between work time control and work method control among Nigerian health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants for this study comprised (220) health employees sampled through the purposive and convenient method. Three instruments, Breaugh's Work Autonomy Scale, Work Time Control Scale, and Job Crafting Questionnaire, were used for data collection, and hierarchical multiple regression was employed for data analysis. Results of this study showed that work time control and job crafting were positively associated with work method control of Nigerian health workers. Job crafting moderated the relationship between work time control and work method control. This research deepened the knowledge of work method control while integrating work time control, and job crafting, with other health and work challenges of health workers in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Second, COVID-19 has turned neglected Nigerian health workers into heroes as their work time control and job crafting helped manage the pandemic despite the poor infrastructure, corruption, bigotry, and ethnocentrism. During pandemics, the work method must be understood and used with work time and job crafting to improve patient recovery, health workers' well-being, the nation, and the universe.

HEALTH AND SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACT OF COVID-19: A CASE STUDY OF NIGERIA

This study aims to examine the health and socioeconomic impact of COVID-19 in Nigeria. The study uses data from the World Health Organization and other relevant sources to analyze the effects of the pandemic on the Nigerian health sector and its ability to provide equal and adequate care for all citizens. The study also explores the use of theories such as structural functionalism and conflict theory to critically analyze the trends in Nigeria and provide an in-depth understanding of societal functions. The findings reveal that COVID-19 has caused a disruption in the treatment of non-communicable diseases and has led to an imbalance in the distribution of healthcare in Nigeria. The study concludes with recommendations for restructuring the healthcare system to combat COVID-19 and ensure the achievement of sustainable development goals.

Lack of Adequate Equipment for Healthcare – The Agony of Patients and Nurses

The health sector is crucial to the growth and development of a nation. Despite sound policies and interventions to develop the Nigerian health sector, there are challenges that continue to reduce the progress and achievement of universal access to healthcare. The major factors that affect the overall performance of the health system include inadequate health facilities/structure, poor human resources and management, poor remuneration and motivation, lack of fair and sustainable healthcare financing, unequal economic and political relations. Other factors inlucde neo-liberal economic policies of the Nigerian state, corruption, illiteracy, very low government spending on health, high out-of-pocket expenditure in health, and the absence of an integrated system for disease prevention, surveillance and treatment, inadequate mechanisms for families to access healthcare, and the most persistent problem, the shortage of basic and essential equipment in most public health facilities in Nigeria. The agony which patients and nurses are passing through due to the non-availability of equipment needed to render the required services causes inefficient service delivery and increases job stress. This review paper describes the enormity of the problems and recommends options vital to addressing the problem to attain equilibrium in demand, quality and efficiency in healthcare delivery.

MODAL AUXILIARIES IN SELECTED NEWSPAPER EDITORIALS ON MEDICAL BRAIN DRAIN IN NIGERIA

This paper explores the conscious deployment of modal auxiliary verbs by the media to project stances and opinions on the topical issue of medical brain drain in Nigeria. Data, which comprised a total of 12 editorials on the issue of brain drain in the Nigerian health sector, were sourced from four Nigerian newspapers (Punch, The Guardian, Daily Trust, The Sun) published between 2018-2022. The identified modal verbs were categorised based on Palmer’s (1986; 1990) classification of modality: deontic, epistemic and dynamic. The modal auxiliaries are used to stir up the emotion of concern, project the duty of government and predictions about doctors’ exodus attempts, and communicate the disposition of the government towards the issue. The editorials are marked with modal auxiliary verbs intended to draw the attention of the public to the responsibilities of the government and the possible outcomes of taking (or not) necessary actions to tackle the menace of medical brain drain.

Absenteeism in primary health centres in Nigeria: leveraging power, politics and kinship

BackgroundPrimary health centres (PHCs) in Nigeria suffer critical shortages of health workers, aggravated by chronic absenteeism that has been attributed to insufficient resources to govern the system and adequately meet...

Understanding the Nature and Sources of Conflict Among Healthcare Professionals in Nigeria: A Qualitative Study.

IntroductionInter-professional conflict in the Nigerian health sector is a concept that is as old as modern medical practice and has resulted in disruption of health care delivery, with the overall impact bearing down on patients.PurposeThis study aimed to provide an in-depth understanding and a clearer insight into the causes of conflict in the Nigerian health sector.MethodsA qualitative strategy was employed using a semi-structured interview approach. Data were obtained from health practitioners from diverse backgrounds in various healthcare facilities.ResultsThe phenomenon of conflict was reported as a long existent and trans-generational strain on inter-professional relationships occurring in all sectors of health practice, primarily between the physicians and other health care professionals. Inter-professional conflict was reported to emanate primarily from lapses in leadership, remuneration structure, role description, communication and emotional intelligence. This has affected the effectiveness of the Nigerian healthcare system and has contributed to hindrance in the provision of high-quality care in the country.ConclusionEvidence from this study can help in developing contextual policy in addressing inter-professional conflict in the health sector, and this will consequently improve health care delivery in the country.

Evidence that an intervention on attitudinal predictors of inter-professional team building among healthcare professionals gives improvement in Nigeria?

Introduction: The Nigerian health sector faces intricate inter-professional challenges in the aspect of incessant inter-professional friction among healthcare professionals that lead to poor outcomes. This study aims to investigate evidence that an intervention on attitudinal predictors of inter-professional team building among healthcare professionals gives improvement. Methods: This was a longitudinal prospective study design using a multistage sampling technique to select respondents working at a tertiary health facility in Nnewi, Nigeria.The conceptual framework for intervention was a mix of models. There was the evaluation of change on eight variables of attitudinal predictors of inter-professional team building three months post-intervention. Results: A total of 121 professionals were interviewed. Respondents that agreed inter-professional team building to benefit their organization were 87(71.8%) and 111(91.8%) at pre- and post-intervention phases (p<0.01), respondents that agreed to participate in interprofessional team building were 86(70.7%) and 110(90.9%) at pre- and post-intervention phases (p<0.01), respondents that agreed to recommend inter-professional team building to improve inter-professional working relationship were 81(67.1%) and 117(97.1%) at pre- and post-intervention phases (p<0.01), respondents that disagreed to inter-professional team building as waste of time and money were 83(63.3%) and 121(100%) at pre- and post-intervention phases (p<0.01), respondents that agreed to recommend inter-professional team building to resolve conflict were 65(53.7%) and 114(93.9%) at pre- and post-intervention phases (p<0.01), respondents that agreed assertive behaviour, cooperative attitude and courage to disagree were attitudinal predictor competencies components for effective inter-professional team membership were 44(36.6%) and 96(79.1%), 87(71.9%) and 118(97.5%) and 58(47.6%) and 82(67.6%) respectively at pre- and post-intervention phases (p<0.01). Conclusion: This study showed there is an evidence-based consistent improvement of a minimum of 20% (20% to 42.5%)with a significant statistical difference across all eight variables of attitudinal predictors of interprofessional team building among healthcare professionals in Nigeria. It is therefore recommended that the Federal Ministries of Health and Science and Technology, and related Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government of Nigeria implement interventions on attitudinal predictors of inter-professional team building among healthcare professionals to fast track Medical Biotechnology for Nigeria to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.

Challenge of COVID-19 and Nigerian Economic Change: The Way Forward

The Nigerian Economic implication of COVID-19 motivated this study. The study discussed the argument and counterargument within scientific discussions on the challenge of COVID-19 on Nigerian Economy. The broad objective of this study is to investigate the Nigerian Economic Change and Challenge of COVID-19 as well as the way forward. The specific objective is to determine the relationship between Nigerian Gross Domestic Product and COVID-19 comparing 2019 and 2020 Nigerian Economic Change, the study also aimed at establishing the way out of COVID-19. Descriptive statistics method of data analysis was used to present the results and findings of the study. The research design adopted in this study is ex-post facto. In this research, the type of data analysis that will be employed is descriptive statistics. The techniques will involve a view and appraisal of the effect of COVID-19 on Nigerian economy. That notwithstanding, the methodology can produce useful and meaningful results. To achieve this, quantitative analysis involving the use of percentages, degrees and graphical charts for the explanation of the data collected will be employed. Findings revealed that the coronavirus pandemic lockdown reduced the volume and value of production in Nigeria and affected the gross domestic product of Nigeria which almost jeopardized the Nigerian economy. Findings also revealed that resumption of offices and trading activities leads to an increase in the level and volume of production in Nigeria and this led to an increase in the value of GDP in Nigeria. The study therefore recommends that the Nigeria government should pay more attention to the Nigerian health sector in terms of funding, equipping hospitals, and training of medical staff. Nigerians should make use of preventive measures of COVID-19 which is the best way out of COVID-19; this will prevent shutting down of sectors and lead to a very high level of production in Nigeria. The study is highly unique as it will make Nigerians to know the effect of COVID-19 on Nigerian Economy. The study will shed light on different ways out of Coronavirus. The data to be analyzed covers 2019-2020 Nigerian quaterly Gross Domestic Product.

Urbanization and Health Conditions in Nigeria: Dealing with the Urban Health Challenges

Health concerns arising from urbanization requires serious commitment to revamp the Nigerian health sector. In that regards, this study sought to investigate the influence of urbanization and health expenditure on life expectancy and mortality rates in Nigeria from 1981 to 2020. The fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) technique was used to ascertain the influence of urbanization and government health expenditure on life expectancy and mortality rates in Nigeria. From the result of FMOLS, it was observed that urbanization exerts a positive and significant effect on life expectancy; but exerts a negative and significant effect on mortality rates. Moreover, government health expenditure generated a negative and significant effect on life expectancy, but a positive and significant effect on adult mortality. As such, the 15% recommended by the World Health Organization should be given a top priority in order to alleviate the country out of the menace of health tourism that has bedevilled the country over the years.

Physiotherapists\u2019 perception of physicians\u2019 referral of patients for physiotherapy in the Nigerian health system

BackgroundAs the physiotherapy profession gradually evolves into a more autonomous profession, physicians continue to play a major role in the clinical practice of physical therapists globally, particularly as a source of patient referral. Therefore, an evaluation of Nigerian physiotherapists’ (NPTs) perception of physician’s referral (PR) of patients for physiotherapy may be a critical indicator of the relationship between the two professionals in the Nigerian health sector. The objective of the study was to determine the perception of Nigerian NPTs on the PR of patients for physiotherapy and the influence of demographic characteristics on the perception. The study was an online survey involving one hundred and fifty-four respondents. The instrument for the study was an 11-item self-developed questionnaire with two domains: demographics and perception. The participants were blind respondents reached through different physiotherapists’ WhatsApp platforms in Nigeria. The responses were collated electronically after 2 months and analyzed with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.ResultsThe respondents have a negative perception of the 9 out of the 11-questionnaire items that were used to test the physiotherapists’ perception of the physicians’ referral of patients for physiotherapy in Nigeria health facilities. There was no significant difference (p>0.05) across the respondents’ gender, place of employment, areas of specialization, and educational qualifications and the respondents’ perception of doctors’ referrals of patients for physiotherapy. However, there was a significant difference (p<0.05) in each of the participants’ perceptions across the respondents’ years of practice, with the participants who had less than 5 years of practice having the least score.ConclusionsNigerian physiotherapists have a negative perception of physicians’ referral of patients for physiotherapy, and the perception was only influenced by the years of practice of the respondents.

A linguistic and literary analyses study of selected cartoons on the novel Covid-19 pandemic in Nigeria

ABSTRACT The world is currently facing a global pandemic, code-named the Covid-19, which is seriously wrecking a devastating blow on world health care system. Since the first index case was reported in Lagos, Nigeria, in February, 2020, the Federal and State Governments have put measures in place to curtail the spread of the deadly virus in the country. Some of the measures include the constitution of the Presidential Task Force (PTF), provision of isolation and treatment centres for confirmed cases, and the pronouncement of lockdown order by the President and some State Governors. Amidst these measures, cartoonists (artists, or authors in literary context) have taken to the media to creatively present humorous and satirical depictions of the pandemic and social realities in the fight against it. This study, thus, analyses the humorous and satirical depiction of the pandemic, the state of the Nigerian health sector, and the country’s major actors in the fight against the scourge, using selected cartoons from the Nigerian context. These cartoons can be classified as graphic literary texts that can be subjected to different interpretations. The cartoons/texts are selected from the Facebook pages of popular Nigerian cartoonists/authors. A total number of ten (10) cartoons/texts were randomly selected between March and April 2020. The number of cartoons was limited to ten (10) in order to accommodate the rigour of qualitative analysis, which, in turn, informed one of the limitations of the study. This study adopts two (2) models/theories in interpreting the cartoons, which are Suls’s (1983) Incongruity Resolution (IR) model, a linguistic tool of lexicalisation, re-lexicalisation, and shared sociocultural knowledge used to explicate humour and satire in the cartoons, and Structuralism, which requires human behaviour (as represented in texts or cartoons) to be understood in the context of a broad social system (otherwise called structures) in which they exist. This study observed that the cartoons are not just independent texts or images, but that they are products of the Nigerian social condition, and that understanding them requires a level of familiarity with their contexts of production.It also revealed that, as a means of visual communication, the cartoons exposed the realities in the country and refused to be relegated to simply satirical images of issues and events in the country’s history. The analysis showed that cartoons are an important part of the discourse on the pandemic. Equally, the paper revealed that, the cartoonists have deployed both verbal and non-verbal incongruity to present comical images that show beliefs of Nigerians about the pandemic and the level of the country’s preparedness in flattening the curve of the contraction of the virus. Although the paper is concerned with Covid-19 in the Nigerian context, it is limited to the linguistic and literary analysis of the pandemic in selected cartoons.