ASSESSING THE CHALLENGES OF PRIVATE HEALTHCARE DELIVERY IN SOUTHEAST NIGERIA: AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS OF ACCESSIBILITY, AFFORDABILITY, AND QUALITY CONCERNS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17079225Keywords:
Private Healthcare, Southeast Nigeria, Accessibility, Affordability, Quality of Care, Health Financing, Out-Of-Pocket PaymentsAbstract
The private healthcare sector in Southeast Nigeria has grown to be an essential part of the region's healthcare system, supposedly completing the gaps left by public healthcare institutions. However, its delivery is fraught with significant challenges that impact population health outcomes and economic well-being. This study assesses the tripartite challenges of accessibility, Affordability, and Quality of care within private healthcare delivery in Southeast Nigeria. Utilizing a quantitative cross-sectional research design, data were collected via an online survey from 512 residents across the five southeastern states. The survey instrument measured perceptions across three validated scales. Findings indicate that while geographical accessibility is moderate in urban centers, financial Affordability remains a critical and pervasive barrier for a majority of the population. Furthermore, perceived Quality is highly uneven and demonstrates a strong, positive correlation with a patient's ability to pay, indicating a two-tiered system. According to regression analysis, accessibility and Affordability are significantly predicted by geography and income, respectively. The study concludes that the private sector's ability to contribute to health goals in Southeastern Nigeria would remain largely unmet in the absence of strategic regulation, innovative financing structures, and successful public-private collaborations. Recommendations are offered for policymakers, private healthcare providers, and researchers
References
Adebayo, A. M., Oluwaseun, E. O., & Iyabo, Y. D. (2021). Availability of Essential Medicines for Non-Communicable Diseases in Public and Private Facilities in Southwestern Nigeria. Journal of Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice, 14(1), 25. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40545-021-00310-1
Adewole, D. A., & Adebayo, A. M. (2022). Barriers to Enrolment in Health Insurance in Contemporary Nigeria. Journal of Health Research and Reviews, 9(1), 12–18.
Aguocha, C. M., Uchenna, O. N., & Dimejesi, I. B. (2022). Patient Preferences and Perceptions of Quality in Private Healthcare Facilities in Enugu Metropolis, Nigeria. International Journal of Research - GRANTHAALAYAH, 10(1), 1–12.
Aregbeshola, B. S., & Khan, S. M. (2018). Determinants of out-of-pocket payments on healthcare in Nigeria: Evidence from a national survey. Journal of Public Health, 26(5), 551–562. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-018-0884-x
Chima, R. L., Homedes, N., & Mensah, O. (2018). Catastrophic health expenditure and poverty in Nigeria: A double jeopardy. Journal of Global Health Science, 1(2), e23.
Cochran, W. G. (1977). Sampling techniques (3rd ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Gilson, L., & McIntyre, D. (2008). The interface between research and policy: Experience from South Africa. Social Science & Medicine, 67(5), 748–759.
Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Quality of Health Care in America. (2001). Crossing the quality chasm: A new health system for the 21st century. National Academies Press.
Levesque, J. F., Harris, M. F., & Russell, G. (2019). Patient-centred access to health care: Conceptualising access at the interface of health systems and populations. International Journal for Equity in Health, 12(1), 18. https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-9276-12-18
McIntyre, D., Thiede, M., & Birch, S. (2009). Access as a policy-relevant concept in low- and middle-income countries. Health Economics, Policy and Law, 4(2), 179–193.
Nnebue, C. C., Eke, O. C., & Onwasigwe, C. N. (2021). Regulation of private health care facilities in Nigeria: A review of the challenges and the way forward. Nigerian Journal of Clinical Practice, 24(5), 619-626.
Obinnna, C. (2022). Profit over patients? Quality Dilemmas in Nigeria's Growing Private Health Sector. Journal of African Health Sciences, 22(1), 45-53.
Okeke, E. N., Glick, P., Abubakar, I. S., & Chari, A. V. (2021). The brain drain and physician workforce in Nigeria: A political economy analysis. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 104(5), 1677-1682.
Okpani, A. I., & Abimbola, S. (2018). The Abuja Declaration: 15 years later, and the goal of allocating 15% of the budget to health in Nigeria remains unfulfilled. Health Care Current Reviews, 6(2), 1–3.
Onwujekwe, O., Ezumah, N., Mbachu, C., Obi, F., Ichoku, H., & Uzochukwu, B. (2019). Exploring the effectiveness of different health financing mechanisms in Nigeria: what needs to change and how can it happen? BMC Health Services Research, 19, 661. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-019-4512-4
Uzochukwu, B. S. C., Onwujekwe, O. E., Okolo, C. A., & Okwuosa, C. C. (2020). Monitoring and evaluation of health services in Nigeria: A review of the landscape. Health Policy and Planning, 35(7), 874-882.
World Bank. (2023). Current health expenditure (% of GDP) - Nigeria. World Health Organization Global Health Expenditure database. Retrieved October 26, 2023, from https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.XPD.CHEX.GD.ZS?locations=NG
World Health Organization. (2021). Universal health coverage (UHC). Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/universal-health-coverage-(uhc)
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Advance Journal of Management and Social Sciences
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
