Science Funding in Nigeria
Nigeria just elected new president Muhammadu Buhari. With Nigeria being Africa’s most populous country and the largest economy in the region, their science and research funding was a priority to its old administration. According to Nature, the new administration ran and won without talking about science and research at all. According to Oye Ibidapo-Obe, vice-chancellor of the Federal University Ndufu-Alike Ikwo in Ebonyi State and former president of the Nigerian Academy of Science “The incoming government did not mention science research and funding in its campaign, probably because the average Nigerian does not see science as the core need of the country, so it was not a vote-winner.”
Nigeria needs to have a modernized Institute of Medical Research (IMR) that will allow Nigeria to use the money and aid they are receiving to invest into technological advances and research to grow the medical infrastructure of the country to meet the growing needs of over 170 million people. They need to invest in research that will improve the future of their country in the fields of science and health.
Particularly with the North having higher maternal, child and infant mortality rates, using this research money on science and research to improve these services they are already delivering would be a good use of the aid. The reason behind these deaths are that women don’t have enough trained midwives or other birth attendants or access to health facilities that meet international quality criteria or even meet sanitary conditions (like toilets). The shortage of health staff and quality facilities along with diseases that are easily treated and preventable will continue being allowed to affect the population. With this research and development it could be used to bring Nigeria to a minimum standard of health care and help them deliver this type of care to its citizens.
Nigeria does have very educated doctors and caregivers who are able to give the level of care needed, but due to the lacking infrastructure they are fighting an uphill battle. A modernized IMR can help put the right solutions in place.
What would RGH do if it was consulting on a project like this?
If Nigeria were to get more aid money to improve science or health, they have to invest in increasing the number of nursing and medical schools and produce more professionals that can improve the quality of maternal and child health, and bring their hospitals and health centers up to compare with other developed nations. In order to do this RGH could assist to develop a more effective maternal child health strategy to make sure the country gets the highest return on investment (ROI) for their money. RGH would do this by helping to get an effective health system in place and advise more investment in research to keep moving their health and science in the right direction. An effective health system starts by improving at least 10% of Nigeria’s hospitals, maternities, health centers and dispensaries per year for the next 10 years. It is simple. Not easy, though. RGH has the tools to help them do it.
WWRGHD? is a new blog series from RGH where we look at events in the news and share our take on what could be done, or done differently, to improve universal coverage to healthcare in the United States and around the world.
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