“Poverty remains a most important determinant of ill-health as it contributes significantly to increased exposure to disease-causing agents and also prevents access to health care services once disease has occurred.”
Former chief medical director, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) and Public Health Expert, Prof Akin Osibogun, has said that about 70 million Nigerians live below poverty line.
Osibogun, stated this at the MDCAN 2018 Public Lecture and Award, with the theme “Politics and Health: Implications of Nexus To The Nigerian Citizen,” in Abuja.
Osibogun, who was the guest speaker at the event said, “health-related data show that about 70 million Nigerians live below the abject poverty line.
“The poor are more likely to be sick and when sick, least likely to access health services promptly. The cost of illness is not just the cost of treatment, but includes the cost of treatment-seeking activities such as transportation to the hospital.
“Poverty remains a most important determinant of ill-health as it contributes significantly to increased exposure to disease-causing agents and also prevents access to health care services once disease has occurred.”
He noted that in the Human Development Index, the United Nations ranked Nigeria as 187 out of 191 countries, adding that the fall in living standards and relative scarcity of resources have negatively impacted on the delivery of and access to health services by the people.