Healthcare availability and utilisation in Nigeria’s urban slums

By Oludayo Tade

DESPITE being located in urban centres, their environments are characterised by blocked drainage channels, poor sanitary conditions, poor quality of buildings and they face perennial struggle to get water for domestic use. Worse still, they face daunting challenges getting qualitative health care services despite their preference for public health providers over other sources. Welcome to urban slums in Idi-Ikan (indigenous slum) and Sasa (migrant slum) in Oyo State, and Bariga (metropolitan slum) in Lagos megacity, where residents face varying challenges in health care…