Indices that Can Ensure the Health Security of Children in Nigeria

Abstract

The paper examines the indicators that can ensure the health security of children in Nigeria. It is estimated that at least 44 developing countries (Nigerian is one) have less than a 20% chance of achieving the 4th MDG that is to reduce child and infant mortality in the world by 2/3 by 2015. Health security is used in the paper to mean measures adopted by Government and individuals to protect children from diseases and other conditions that bring pains and discomfort to them. Literature provide that the Nigeria health system is full of corruption, neglect and lack of direction as there are no strong health policies proposed, and implemented. To give direction to the paper, five major areas were identified and discussed; which were: Policy making and implementation, Environment, health services available to children, personal life style of children and inherited genes from ancestors. Among many things discussed, literature provides that in Nigeria and other African countries-malaria prone areas use a lot of self diagnosis for malaria, drug stores were always the first point of call in the south-east. In Malawi, it was discovered that mothers usually go through different treatment regimes before consulting health facilities and thus causing obvious lag in appropriate health seeking… It was recommended among others that since majority of children that have poor health security live in villages, policies to reduce child poverty need to be enacted by government as an instrument for development of the health security of children in the country.