COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND HEALTHCARE SERVICES IN NIGERIA: CHALLENGES AND WAY FORWARD

Healthcare service is key to the well-being of any society as it deals with health problems by providing services of promotion, prevention, treatment and restoration of health. However, from the onset of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and its claim of several lives in countries with the most sophisticated healthcare systems and services, the poor and pathetic state of the Nigeria healthcare system has become more glaring. COVID-19 is a novel and contagious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) with common symptoms ranging from fever to dry cough, tiredness, chest pain or pressure, difficulty in breathing among others. It is spread through airborne zoonotic droplet, and people can get infected when in close contact with the cough and sneeze of infected persons. The ravaging nature of the pandemic, marked by increasing cases and high death toll, elicit fears and concern among Nigerian citizens and the government. This paper employed exploratory and qualitative approach design to examine the effect of COVID-19 on the healthcare services, with specific consideration of the challenges, expectations of the government in supporting and improving the healthcare sector with modern equipment/facilities and training of health workers.