HEALTH CARE LEGAL REGIME IN NIGERIA AND DEALING WITH IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES

Abstract

The Nigerian Health Law Scape is replete with an array of Laws and Regulations—including the National Health Act, the NHIA Act, and disease-specific legislation. On the flipside, implementation remains uneven, and enforcement mechanisms are weak. The paper explores issues of justiciability, institutional fragmentation, inequitable access to healthcare, and the absence of strategic litigation in advancing health rights. Drawing on scholarly critiques and governance studies, the article argues that Nigeria’s health law regime is hindered by poor accountability, overlapping agency mandates, insufficient public health education. amongst others. Recommendations include constitutional reform, performance-based oversight, stronger civil society engagement, and targeted investments in underserved populations.