Healthcare delivery in Nigeria has faced major challenges toward achieving universal health coverage. While significant progress was made in the first two decades after the country's independence in 1960, the economic downturn resulting from the plummeting of oil price of which Nigeria was dependent led to a series of twists and turns in the health sector. Health policies were subsequently influenced by external forces, and the adoption of the structural adjustment program signaled a shift from a predominantly welfare scheme to the introduction of user fee and the resultant proliferation of private healthcare provision. This paper discusses the crises that followed the turbulent health policies ever since by identifying some key factors that were glossed over by successive government regimes in formulating health policies in Nigeria. The paper concludes by suggesting a more inclusive model that will ensure equitability in the health sector and accessibility to healthcare services in the country.
This paper discusses the illness narratives of undergraduate students suffering from sickle cell anaemia. The study explores participants' concept of the self in relation to the disease on the one hand, and on the other, the construction of their identity in relation to significant others, friends and the wider community in order to gain a deeper understanding of their symbolic and interactional meanings. Data was generated from six undergraduate students in a private university in south western Nigeria. The qualitative data collection techniques used included in-depth interviews, unobtrusive observation and informal group discussion. The study was conducted over a period of two years and the data were content analysed. The study found that sickle cell patients defined the disease as "natural" due to its hereditary nature. Participants' experiences with the disease in relation to others were described as "frightening", "stressful" and "delimiting" within a broad sociocultural framework that is characterized by empathy and endurance. The findings suggest a more focused awareness campaign that stresses cooperation and understanding of the disease and interactions with sickle cell patients.
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