As Nigeria’s public hospitals battle with overcrowding, rising prices and overstretched services, well being specialists and traders are more and more pointing to an neglected alternative: purpose-built caregivers’ lodgings situated near main public hospitals.
Nigeria’s tertiary hospitals attend to greater than 20 million sufferers yearly, in response to estimates collated from the Federal Ministry of Well being and educating hospital information. Well being employees say that for each admitted affected person, not less than one caregiver is current, typically staying for days or even weeks. But most public hospitals present no formal lodging for this group.
Throughout the nation, kinfolk of sufferers who function casual nurses, meal suppliers and affected person advocates sleep in corridors, hospital compounds or close by streets, notably in main centres corresponding to Lagos, Ibadan, Abuja, Enugu and Benin.
“At educating hospitals, caregivers are an invisible inhabitants. In some wards, caregivers outnumber sufferers at evening. This impacts hygiene, safety and even restoration outcomes,” mentioned a advisor doctor on the Lagos College Educating Hospital (LUTH), Dr. Kemi Solanke.
The Lagos College Educating Hospital (LUTH) admits roughly 50 new sufferers every day, which interprets to over 18,000 yearly admissions yearly, hospital sources say. Data point out that the College School Hospital in Ibadan admits over 150,000 in-patients, together with accident victims, yearly. With common hospital stays starting from 7 to 21 days, analysts estimate that lots of of hundreds of caregivers move by way of Nigeria’s main public hospitals yearly.
Healthcare analysts argue that investing in low-cost caregivers’ hostels may deal with each social and operational challenges whereas opening a brand new area of interest in healthcare-linked actual property.
Well being economist, Dr. Funmilayo Yusuf, mentioned the numbers help the enterprise case. “Hospitals generate fixed, year-round demand. Even when simply 30 per cent of caregivers use paid lodging at N2,000–N5,000 per evening, services close to massive hospitals can obtain excessive occupancy and regular money circulate,” she mentioned. She added that, comparable fashions in India present occupancy charges of 60–80 per cent, even at low value factors, as a consequence of steady affected person influx.
Hospital directors additionally cite operational prices. A senior official at UCH, Ibadan, who requested anonymity, mentioned caregivers occupying corridors create sanitation and security dangers. “Throughout peak intervals, infection-control compliance turns into tougher. Emergency entry routes are sometimes blocked. Objective-built lodging close by would considerably enhance hospital effectivity,” the official mentioned.
Public well being information additional underscores the difficulty. Nigeria has lower than 0.5 hospital beds per 1,000 folks, in response to the World Well being Organisation, far beneath the worldwide common of two.9. Specialists say this scarcity not directly pushes caregiving obligations and related prices onto households.
Past healthcare outcomes, economists say the funding potential is compelling. Nigeria has over 60 educating hospitals and federal medical centres, most situated in high-density city areas. Reasonably priced lodgings priced modestly may entice hundreds of customers month-to-month.
Actual property analyst, Kunle Ojo, described the mannequin as recession-resistant.“Healthcare demand doesn’t depend upon tourism or shopper confidence. Caregiver lodging gives predictable occupancy, decrease advertising prices and steady returns, whereas creating jobs in safety, cleansing and meals companies,” he mentioned.
For caregivers, the impression can be instant and private. “When my daughter was admitted in Abuja, I slept outdoors for 2 weeks,” mentioned Mrs. Grace Okeke, a dealer from Anambra State. “I spent over N40,000 simply on meals and transport. A close-by, reasonably priced place to sleep would have lowered the stress.”
Public well being advocates estimate that Nigerian households already bear over 70 per cent of healthcare prices out-of-pocket, in response to Nationwide Well being Accounts. They argue that, casual caregiving bills corresponding to meals, shelter and misplaced earnings stay largely undocumented however vital.
Advocates at the moment are calling for presidency help by way of land concessions, tax incentives and planning fast-tracks to draw non-public traders. “That is infrastructure, not charity. Caregivers are a part of the care chain. Supporting them reduces hidden prices throughout the system, mentioned Dr. Adetokunbo Lawal
Nonetheless, challenges stay. Traders level to unclear hospital governance, safety issues and the absence of a nationwide coverage framework. There are additionally fears that with out regulation, pricing may exclude low-income households.
Well being coverage skilled, Tunde Adebola, mentioned formal recognition is overdue. “With Nigeria’s inhabitants projected to hit 227 million by 2030, strain on public hospitals will solely improve. Caregivers’ lodgings are a low-cost intervention with excessive social returns,” he mentioned.
As Nigeria searches for progressive methods to strengthen healthcare supply with out increasing public spending, caregivers’ lodgings provide a uncommon convergence of social impression, {economic} viability and health-system effectivity, one stakeholder says the nation can now not afford to disregard.
