Nigeria’s health sector faces acute challenges even as innovators redefine its future.
Public financing remains well below global benchmarks: the 2024 federal budget allocated about N1.34 trillion to health just around 4.6% of the total budget far short of the 15% Abuja Declaration target.
Many states also under‑spend on health relative to their budgets, with actual execution rates lagging allocations. Out‑of‑pocket payments, though improving, still account for a majority of health spending, reaching about 58.3% in 2024, exposing households to financial hardship.
Health outcomes remain uneven: Nigeria’s under‑five mortality rate is among the world’s highest at over 100 deaths per 1,000 live births, while infant and neonatal deaths also persist at worrying levels. Maternal mortality continues to drive concern, with the country contributing a substantial share of global maternal deaths due to limited access to quality obstetric care.
Despite these systemic gaps in funding, infrastructure, and outcomes, visionary women founders are leading solutions from supply chain innovations and primary care platforms to diagnostics, health education, and community‑driven services—transforming Nigeria’s health landscape and expanding access to quality care across communities.
Dr. Elebute is a leading haematologist and oncologist with extensive clinical, research, and academic experience spanning Nigeria and the UK. She earned her MBBS from the College of Medicine, University of Lagos in 1986 and pursued postgraduate training in medicine and haemato-oncology at premier London institutions, including St Bartholomew’s Hospital, St George’s Hospital, and The Royal Marsden.
Her groundbreaking research earned her a fellowship from the Leukaemia Research Fund and a Doctor of Medicine (MD) from the University of London.
In the UK, Dr. Elebute held Consultant and Honorary Senior Lecturer roles at St George’s Hospital, King’s College Hospital, and the National Blood Service, while maintaining a well-established private practice at Spire and Lister Hospitals. In Nigeria, she contributed significantly to Lagoon Hospitals, developing a pathology laboratory and a dedicated sickle cell clinic.
She has published widely in scientific journals and textbooks and played a central role in shaping haematology education, including as Postgraduate Director and Educational Supervisor for the University of London’s Haematology Postgraduate Training Programme.
A Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Pathologists, Dr. Elebute is a member of the British and American Societies of Haematology. Committed to giving back, she co-founded the Sickle Cell Club of Lagos and supports initiatives like Build Africa. She is married with children.
These healthcare juggernauts don’t get enough of their flowers. They’re doing amazing! Especially those on the services side