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Nigeria Expat Health Insurance

The Federal Republic of Nigeria, more widely known as Nigeria, is a coastal country on the western African Continent. The country's coastline lies along the Gulf of Guinea, and shares borders with Republic of Benin to the west , to the north lies Niger and to the east Chad and Cameroon. The capital and largest city of Nigeria is Abuja and the official language is English The local currency is the Naira (NGN).

Nigeria has a population of 155.215 million people who are dispersed over a land area of 923,768 square kilometers. Nigeria gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1914 and declared its self a republic on the 1st October 1963. Governance in Nigeria is in the form of a federal constitutional republic.

The nominal gross domestic product (GDP) for Nigeria was estimated to be about US$216.8 billion in 2010; the country’s economy is experiencing significant positive growth at a rate of 8.4 percent. In 2010 the per capita earning was US$2,500. In 1999, 70 percent of the population was engaged in the agricultural sector, while 10 percent and 20 percent were engaged in industry and service sectors respectively. In 2007 the unemployment rate was 4.9 percent. In 2010 the labor force consisted of 48.33 million people. Public debt in 210 was US$11.02 billion.

Nigeria Healthcare and Insurance

The total health care expenditure as a percentage of GDP was 4.6 percent while the federal government expenditure was 1.5 percent. The health care system is the responsibility of The Ministry of Health. There are three concurrent tiers of government offices involved in the health care system along with private providers. The Federal Government coordinates tertiary services such as university teaching hospitals, and Federal Medical Centers. The state governments manage secondary health care facilities and service such as general hospitals, while local governments focus on providing primary health care, usually in the form of dispensaries and clinics.

The National Health Insurance scheme was created in 1999 and offers health insurance coverage to government employees, and private sector and formal sector employees whose companies opt into the scheme. According to the guidelines set out in the scheme children under five, permanently disabled persons and prison inmates are also entitled to cover under the scheme.

There is some degree of psychological care available in Nigeria but it is rather limited. The country does have eight regional psychiatric centers and is also available from the psychiatric departments and medical schools of the 12 main university hospitals. A number of regional hospitals provide mental health care services. Unfortunately for people who do need psychological or social services, there are a limited number of professionals in the country, with a ratio of 0.02 psychologists and social workers per 100,000 members of the general populace.

Health care facilities are best described as limited in some parts of the country. Drug quality and standards are controlled by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC). However, fake prescription drugs are still available. The Nigerian Ministry of Health spends 70 percent of its budget on services in urban areas where only 30 percent of the country's population lives.

The Nigerian health care system suffers from brain drain as health care personnel often tend to immigrate to other countries, attracted by higher salaries and better working conditions available abroad. As a result health care workers face longer hours and more responsibilities which compounds the problems leading to the exodus of health care workers. The majority of doctors and nurses that exit the country for employment elsewhere have themselves often benefited from government funding for education which results in inadequate return of funding in later years. Most emigrations are to North America and Europe. In 2000 there was over 2,395 Nigerian doctors practicing medicine in the United States and there were over 1,529 in the United Kingdom.

According to estimates, the population of Nigeria will experience a growth rate of 1.935 percent in 2011. Estimates for the birth rate for that same year are 35.51 births per 1,000 inhabitants while the death rate is estimated to be 16.06 per 1,000 inhabitants. The infant morality rate is set at 91.54 deaths per 1,000 live births while the average life expectancy for males is 46.76 years and for females it is 48.41 years. The total fertility rate is expected to be 4.73 children born per woman. The net migration rate is expected to be -0.1 migrants per 1,000 people ranking it first in the world. The rate of urbanization is 50 percent of the total population and the rate is expected to grow by 3.5 percent in the next four years.

Nigeria Travel Advice

Before you travel you should consult with a medical care professional to ensure that you are up-to-date on all routine and non-routine vaccinations. There have been sporadic outbreaks of cholera, measles, meningitis and numerous communicable diseases in Nigeria. The polio virus is particularly prevalent in the country, vaccinations are available and should be administered before traveling to the area. It is estimated that 3.1 million people live with HIV/AIDS virus in Nigeria this equates to 3.6 percent of adult population. You should also purchase comprehensive medical insurance that covers the cost of medical evacuation in the case of an emergency. The medical facilities in Nigeria be unable to provide the medical care that you require, which means that in case of emergency you may have to be transported to the center of medical excellence nearest to your location, which may be outside of Nigeria. Expat health insurance and some travel insurance plans will cover the expenses of emergency medical evacuation and transport.

There has been an increase in terrorist activities in Borno State by a group calling themselves Boko Haram. As a result there has been increased focus on the security of public areas. There is a high risk of kidnapping or violent attacks in the Niger Delta. This includes threats to both ships and oil rigs off the coast of the delta. It has been advised for expatriates to leave these areas. The Bakassi Peninsula border region with Cameroon remains a sensitive area as this area was transferred from Nigeria to Cameroon in the 14 of August 2008.

It is advised that you avoid traveling to Bauchi State or Plateau State for any non-essential reason, this includes the Jos area due to civil unrest in Jos and its surrounding areas. If you must enter these areas you should avoid any public gathering and public buildings. As of June 2011 the Ministry of Federal Capital Territory has put in place security measures such as roadblocks and parking restrictions in the Central Business District. There is also an official closing time of ten o’clock for recreational facilities and six o’clock for parks and gardens. In Kaduan City a curfew is in place from 23:00 to 06:00.

You will need a visa to enter into the country, one can be obtained from the nearest Nigerian consulate or embassy. It is recommended that you have at least six months validity remaining on your passport or else you may be refused a visa.

Nigeria Expat Health Insurance

If you are considering visiting Nigeria contact Global Health Insurance today to discuss, free of charge, a range of international health insurance services that are available to you or your group in Nigeria. Expat health insurance plans that we work with can provide a number of extensive coverage options, including maternity, dental, specialist treatments and more. Our team of health care professionals are on-hand to advise you on a variety of expat health insurance polices that can be tailor made to suit all budgets and health care needs.