Few aspects of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s reform programme have attracted more public attention than the economy. Debate has centred on fiscal policy, exchange-rate reforms, inflation, taxation, investment and the cost of living. These are the measures by which governments are usually judged because they shape economic confidence and influence the daily lives of citizens.
Healthcare has occupied a different place in that conversation. Discussion has focused on access to care, the condition of public hospitals, maternal and child health, health insurance, the availability of medicines and the performance of primary healthcare. Those remain the principal measures by which the success of health sector reforms should be judged.
They are not, however, the only ones. Some of the most significant effects of the reforms are unfolding beyond hospitals and clinics. As access to healthcare improves, the sector is also attracting investment, expanding domestic manufacturing, strengthening scientific capability, developing skilled human capital and creating new opportunities for enterprise.
A sector long regarded primarily as a consumer of public expenditure is becoming a productive sector capable of generating investment, innovation, industrial growth and skilled employment.
