Healthcare Delivery in Conflict Zones: Examining the Situation in North East Nigeria

Healthcare delivery and the system remain one sector in development that is often significantly impacted during violent conflicts such as wars and armed conflicts. In many instances, during violent conflicts or prolonged wars, health facilities are often targeted, either burnt down or looted. Also, healthcare personnel and even patients are threatened, physically assaulted or even prevented from either giving or receiving care. North East Nigeria, with more than fourteen years of active violent conflict arising from Boko Haram terrorist activities, is not exempted from such threats. Healthcare provisioning in the region has been impacted directly or indirectly by the violent situation, thereby redefining and distorting the healthcare system and delivery. For instance, in 2022, Nigeria recorded 43 incidents in which 37 health workers were kidnapped,11 health supplies were looted, and seven health workers were killed. A further breakdown of this data shows that 17 of these incidents happened in the Northeast states of Borno and Yobe.

However, the consequences of the conflict in the region extend beyond the immediate destruction of health infrastructure such as public and private hospitals, community health centres, ambulances, supply trucks, kidnapping or killing of health workers to the broader fabric of healthcare delivery, accessibility, and quality. This was in addition to an existing problem of neglect and underfunding

Thus, this week’s edition of the Nextier SPD Weekly Policy examines how conflict shapes health outcomes, resource allocation, and system resilience in Nigeria’s North East. It looks at the long—and short-term impacts of violent conflicts on Nigeria’s healthcare system and suggests measures to combat this escalating threat.

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