A Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Prof. George Onyemaechi Ugwu, has called for a major increase in government funding for primary healthcare, advocating that five per cent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund be allocated to the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF) to tackle Nigeria’s high maternal and child mortality rates.
Ugwu made the call on Thursday while delivering the 251st inaugural lecture of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, titled, “The Mother, the Child, and the State: My Triumphant Journey from Evidence to Action.”
The inaugural lecturer, who is also the Enugu State Commissioner for Health, said Nigeria could no longer afford to allow medical research and clinical evidence to remain disconnected from government action.
He argued that sustainable improvements in maternal and child health require deliberate policies, adequate funding and resilient healthcare systems capable of responding to the needs of vulnerable populations.
Ugwu recalled a tragic incident early in his medical career involving an unbooked pregnant woman who died from severe haemorrhage in a labour ward.
According to him, the experience became a defining moment that drove his commitment to understanding and addressing systemic failures responsible for preventable maternal deaths.
Highlighting the scale of Nigeria’s maternal health crisis, Ugwu noted that although Nigeria accounts for approximately 2.8 per cent of the world’s population, the country contributes nearly 29 per cent of global maternal deaths.
He said addressing the crisis required healthcare systems to be guided by the United Nations’ AAAQ framework—Availability, Accessibility, Acceptability and Quality.
According to him, healthcare must not only exist but must be physically accessible, financially affordable and delivered in a manner that respects human dignity.
Ugwu also stressed the importance of investigating “maternal near-misses”—cases in which women survive potentially fatal pregnancy-related complications—as a means of identifying weaknesses in decision-making, transportation and hospital care before such failures result in deaths.
The professor used Enugu State as an example of how medical research and evidence could be translated into concrete government policy.
He outlined a four-tier healthcare strategy being implemented across the state, including the establishment of standard Type-2 Smart Primary Healthcare Centres in every political ward.
According to him, the facilities are equipped with solar power systems, digital health information tools and modern clinical equipment to improve access to quality healthcare at the grassroots.
He added that secondary and tertiary health institutions, including ESUT Teaching Hospital Parklane and the newly operational State University of Medical and Applied Sciences (SUMAS) Teaching Hospital, were undergoing major infrastructure expansion to meet rising healthcare demands.
Ugwu also highlighted the Enugu International Hospital as a major project expected to transform specialist healthcare delivery in the region and reduce the need for medical tourism outside southern Nigeria.
He said the facility would provide ultra-modern maternal, child and specialised clinical services.
On the shortage of healthcare professionals and the impact of brain drain, the commissioner said institutions across Enugu State were expanding their training capacity with the goal of producing more than 1,000 medical doctors annually.
Ugwu also cited improvements recorded through targeted public health interventions in the state.
He disclosed that malaria prevalence in Enugu had declined from 24.5 per cent to 9.9 per cent following a year-long free testing and treatment programme implemented across public health facilities.
He further said proactive interventions helped shield the state from recording a single case during recent outbreaks of Lassa fever and cholera reported in neighbouring states.
As part of his recommendations, Ugwu urged the National Assembly to increase the statutory allocation to the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund from one per cent to five per cent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
He said the increase had become necessary in view of declining international donor funding and the need for Nigeria to develop sustainable domestic financing for healthcare.
The professor also advocated stronger collaboration between universities and government institutions, proposing that academic researchers be directly linked with Planning, Research and Statistics departments within ministries to ensure that public policies are consistently informed by empirical evidence.
He further proposed an “Adopt-a-Health-Facility” framework through which community leaders, alumni associations and other stakeholders could partner with government to monitor, support and improve primary healthcare centres in their communities.
Ugwu concluded by stressing that government intervention in healthcare should operate with the same urgency expected in maternal care—anticipating risks, responding promptly to emergencies and protecting the lives and well-being of every mother and child.
