Henry Ndukuba, head of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), has criticized the poor care and falling ethical standards in Nigerian hospitals.
He said there should be a new way of thinking in healthcare that respects human dignity, encourages life-saving innovations, and gives everyone fair access to quality medical care.
Ndukuba made these remarks at a Health Summit in Abuja, organized by the Church’s Health and Medical Taskforce.
The summit was themed, “Health Prosperity for All: Getting Things Done Rightly.”
Ndukuba said corruption, carelessness, greed, and poor standards have affected Nigeria’s healthcare system, just like many other professions.
He noted that the medical field, once respected, is now plagued with issues like wrong diagnoses, high charges, fake drugs, lack of responsibility, and poor treatment of patients.
According to him, some hospitals—both public and private—are now places where people die not because doctors don’t know what to do, but because of lack of care and moral values.
He added that in some cases, patients in critical condition are left untreated until they pay, even if their lives are at risk. This, he said, goes against both medical ethics and Christian values.
He explained that the summit was meant to bring change and serve as a God-inspired effort to fix the country’s health system.
Despite the problems, Ndukuba praised Nigerian doctors and health workers, saying many are among the best in the world and are doing well abroad.
He said that to fix healthcare in Nigeria, people must start trusting the system again.
He also said that churches and other religious groups should treat healthcare as part of their mission work.
Ndukuba reminded everyone that the Anglican Church has long played an important role in Nigeria’s health sector.
He encouraged churches to not only support the government but to also create excellent healthcare options for people.
He said that every church unit—parish, diocese, and province—should build and improve health facilities and take healthcare missions seriously.
He also emphasized the need to train health workers, make medicines locally, and invest in research labs.
Ndukuba promised that the Church of Nigeria would use healthcare and healing as a way to reach people with the gospel.
He announced that the Church plans to launch its own Health Maintenance Organisation (HMO) and a group for health professionals.
He urged medical workers to remain honest, do their best, create systems of accountability, and guide young doctors in faith and integrity.
Dr. Amal Pepple, the Chair of the event, said Nigeria has many problems, including a healthcare system that is not affordable, fair, efficient, or easy to access.
She said the government should work more closely with the church to solve these healthcare challenges.
