title: Private health care in Nigeria: walking the tightrope.
abstract: The persistently low quality and inadequacy of health services provided in public facilities has made the private sector an unavoidable choice for consumers of health care in Nigeria. Ineffective state regulation, however, has meant little control over the clinical activities of private sector providers while the price of medical services has, in recent years, grown faster than the average rate of inflation. Reforms that are targeted at reorganizing the private sector, with a view to enhancing efficiency in the supply of services, are urgently required if costs are to be contained and consumers assured of good value for money.
authors.affiliation: Mediplan Limited, Lagos, Nigeria. I.Ogunbekun@afdb.org
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ogunbekun
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ogunbekun
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Orobaton
mesh_terms: D002017:Budgets / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003906:Developing Countries; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D015276:Health Care Rationing; D018166:Health Care Reform; D019981:Health Care Sector / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000639:trends; D006291:Health Policy; D009549:Nigeria; D017149:Private Sector / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000592:standards