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Guild of Medical Directors Warns of Crisis as Over 50% of Nigeria’s Private Hospitals Close Amid Rising Costs
The Guild of Medical Directors (GMD) has raised concerns over the financial challenges crippling Nigeria’s private healthcare sector, revealing that over half of the country’s private hospitals have shut down, while those still operating are struggling to survive.
Dr. Raymond Kuti, President of the GMD, disclosed in an interview that monthly closures of private hospitals are accelerating due to escalating costs of essentials like electricity and medical supplies, pushing many to the brink.
“On average, three out of six private hospitals are shutting down monthly,” Dr. Kuti stated, noting that operational costs for energy and imported medical supplies have increased by as much as 500%.
This economic strain has hit Band A hospitals particularly hard. He also cited a decline in patient patronage and the “japa” trend, which has led to severe staffing shortages as young healthcare professionals leave Nigeria in search of better opportunities abroad.
The cost barrier has forced many Nigerians to delay necessary medical treatment, with some resorting to self-medication or local remedies due to financial constraints.
Dr. Kuti, who also serves as the Chief Medical Director at Prisms Health Care Limited, urged the government to intervene and support private healthcare facilities, emphasizing their critical role in Nigeria’s healthcare system.
“We need the government to recognise the challenges we face and provide the necessary support to ensure that private hospitals can continue to operate and serve the community,” he said.
TV anchor Rufai Oseni makes headlines as he speaks on fuel subsidy in Nigeria. He shared that Nigeria can have fuel subsidy without the long queues at filling stations.
“When we were still paying subsidies, there were no long queues. We were subsidising. So you can still have a subsidy regime going on, and there will be no long queues because production was close by. Dangote had it. That’s just it. That argument also falls flat.
“The biggest beneficiaries of subsidy are not Nigerians. They are crony capitalists that have big infrastructure, and they do contracts. They have been the biggest beneficiaries of the subsidy,” he said.
Lagos State Governor, Sanwo-Olu, speaks to those in the electricity sector about the usual blackouts in the state.
He speaks on ways things can change in the state and how electricity can be provided.
“We need to drop corporate egos, abandon long-standing excuses, and confront the harsh realities obstructing progress in the power sector.”
“We, state governments, used to give excuses that everything is centralised, so the Federal Government has unbundled it now. What have we done in a year and a half?” Sanwo-Olu asked.
“We take two steps forward, we go five steps backward,” he said.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has declared Thursday, August 20, a work-free day for public servants in the state to mark the Isese Festival.
Speaking on the celebration, he said “Ìṣẹ̀ṣe is not a relic. It is a living expression of our traditions and a celebration of Yoruba spirituality as an important part of Nigeria’s cultural and religious landscape,” he said.
He added “When the drums sound in Lagos on Thursday, they answer drums in Havana, in Salvador, in Port of Spain. Fifty-five million people and counting. Lagos is not observing a local holiday. Lagos is standing at the centre of a global heritage,” Aregbe said.
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