Module 2: Sustainability Development Goals - Reducing Health Inequalities in Ekiti State

The United Nations Development Goals includes 17 items with over 5000 actionable items that would lead to peace and prosperity of rural areas in the world. Chief amongst them include good health and wellbeing and the elimination of inequalities.  The health care system in Nigeria varies drastically between the rich and the poor but even worse in rural communities like Ikere-Ekiti in Ekiti state, the disparity and inequality is vivid to see.

The Health Care sector in Ekiti state faces a lot of challenges with many of the local hospitals struggling to survive and remain afloat. Some of the issues they face include
•    Power and infrastructure issues
•    Dearth of Skilled health care workers
•    Ill-equipped and underfunded hospitals
•    Low literacy levels
•    Religious and Socio-Cultural Beliefs
•    Security Issues

1. Power and infrastructure issues: There is no adequate electricity or constant electricity to run hospitals and/or keep medications and vaccines at required temperatures. As such there is a lack of adequate medications and care being received by the inhabitants

2. Dearth of Skilled health care workers: Due to the lack of infrastructure and the need for self development, there is a brain drain of skilled physicians, nurses, and other health care workers who look to greener pastures to ply their skills

3. Ill-equipped and underfunded hospitals: Out of the about 16 hospitals, none are state of the art of up to par with the city/community hospitals in the US. There is a minimal health care budget for the state that barely trickles to the hospitals due to corrupt government officials

4. Low literacy levels: Low literacy levels and low income account for challenges faced in the health care sector. Some of the inhabitants due not know how to read or write and do not know how to research what is wrong with them at times. And when they do, there is no money to take care of their hospital bills.

5. Religious and Socio-Cultural Beliefs: Some ingrained religious and socio-cultural beliefs hinder inhabitants of Ekiti state from accessing modern healthcare. For instance , for childbirth, women would rather go to local midwives and not receive any antenatal care and when there are complication such as breech delivery they still proceed to try and give birth outside of the hospital.

6. Security Issues: There have been security issues in and around the country and no place is safe. For instance, Some babies after being born have been stolen from the hospital from armed bandits who late on go sell babies. While bizarre, this is not unheard of.

References:

https://sdgs.un.org/goals

OBHL Feasibility Study Report 2018