Advancing alternative health care financing through effective community partnership: A necessity for universal health coverage in Nigeria

Abstract

This paper sought to advance alternative health care financing for the attainment of universal health coverage (UHC) in Nigeria considering the widening inequality, dwindling government spending, and non-inclusive health insurance scheme in the country. An adoptive narrative review of existing literature and authors’ experiences and observations of health care financing system was used to develop an overview of health care financing system in Nigeria. The results showed that Nigeria has a long way to go in attaining universal health coverage considering her high burden of disease and low health care expenditure, especially in comparison with Africa and similar countries across the globe. The results further showed that out-of-pocket spending dominates health care expenditure in Nigeria, and that the only way to curb heavy reliance on unsustainable and inequitable health care financing is to encourage risk-pooling of resources. This article therefore argues that alternative health care financing through effective community partnership is a necessity to achieving health for all. This understanding could inform health policies by annexing necessary connections with the promise of extending primary health care to all, especially the vulnerable groups, in a rapidly changing but highly unequal society.