IWD: Ill health erode your wealth, explore ways to remain healthy

As the dying embers of the International Women’s Day (IWD) celebrations become dim, with the funfair and fanfare simmering, we are reminded that Nigeria has a huge challenge with its healthcare system. Many organisations celebrated the IWD by organising free medical outreaches and providing free healthcare services. For instance, the Custos Care Foundation organised free medical screening for women in Enugu, the FCT Health Secretariat organised free surgeries for women while the Lagos State government provided free healthcare for its female sanitation workers.

Out-of-pocket healthcare

The free medical care was a brilliant idea and I imagined it was well appreciated by the beneficiaries and their families. However, it does expose the soft underbelly of Nigeria’s healthcare system. Health insurance coverage in the country is low, covering less than 15% of a population of over 200 million people, despite the NHIA Act 2022 which made health insurance compulsory. As a result of the poor insurance coverage, many hospitals and healthcare facilities rely on direct payments from patients to function. A study finds that over 75% of healthcare spending in the country is out-of-pocket, which put a huge strain on personal and family incomes.

What that means is that individuals/families have borne the bulk of the estimated N3 trillion spent on healthcare to date in 2026. This is a huge burden on the healthcare system as well as on lives. With income levels low and dwindling, affected by inflation, many Nigerians are unable to afford quality healthcare services. Thus, when illnesses or diseases strike they either self-medicate or delay in seeking medical care until complications set in. This has led to numerous avoidable deaths.

Catastrophic health spending

Nigerians engage in catastrophic health spending, with over 10% of total household income spent on healthcare. This is dangerous and unsustainable. A single illness could wipe out savings and push a family into poverty. Unfortunately, catastrophic health spending and reliance on out-of-pocket for medical services is not likely to stop anytime soon. With that in mind, I have examined ways, based on expert advice and scientific studies, individuals and families can spend less on healthcare and save money for other equally important needs.

Cost efficient health tips

Healthy life and wealth have a direct correlation. The state of one’s health determines the individual’s wealth. Good health comes with an effort, though. If we must save the extra cash to boost our savings, then we need to take our health seriously and start working at it right away. The question then is what should we do?

Develop a healthy eating habit

You laughed at this tip, right? You’d be surprised the large percentage of Nigerians who do not eat well, not necessarily due to poverty – although that is a huge factor – but ignorance. Some dietary habits would immediately reveal an ulcer candidate, a diabetic, an obese, or a hypertensive one. Eating well keeps you healthy and saves you money on hospital visits and medicine. An expert said you should let your food be your medicine. A healthy person is able to build his earnings capacity.

Eating well includes taking meals at the right time and eating the right foods. Some avoid breakfast, which is a mistake. Researches have shown that eating breakfast have positive health benefits. In the morning, the body is said to easily absorb vitamins and minerals and less fat and cholesterol. Other benefits, according to the International Journal of Food Science and Nutrition include: physical and mental alertness and less exposure to ulcer and obesity.

Also, avoid eating late dinners. You risk insomnia, heartburn, and constipation when you do. These days young executives are hooked on meals from fast food outlets: chicken & chips, fried rice, pies, doughnuts, etc. These are high-calorie, sugar, fats, and carbohydrate food items, which have dire health implications. Fast foods outlets are known to use hydrogenated vegetable oils, which are unhealthy for your heart. The additives used and processing also erode the nutritional value of fast foods. Eat more home cooking. Learn to drink lots of water and eat high fibre foods like fruits and vegetables. Avoid alcohol intake and quit smoking.

Adopt a positive outlook

Your attitude to life determines your health status. If you develop a positive attitude and approach to life, realising that even the best of us do suffer unexpected or unanticipated drawbacks, then you are better able to handle rejection, failure, disappointment, and hurt. Such setbacks are part of human life, and the earlier we appreciate that the better for us. Understanding the inevitability of challenges in life prepares you for when they come, and helps you build resilience. Anything less will lead to depression, bitterness, and regrets, which are harmful to your health. It’s fruitless to believe that we’re too kind or religious to suffer reversals.

Develop a healthy sleeping habit

Sleep, medical science tells us, is a medicine. Sleep refreshes you; sleep improves your metabolic rate and helps you become physically and mentally alert. Medical science recommends at least six hours of sleep daily for the average adult. Many flaunt their lack of adequate sleep like an Olympic medal. They equate few hours of sleep to being strong and hardworking, and thus hardly get enough sleep daily. You are playing with slow, early death, studies have shown. Inadequate sleep weakens your immune system making you susceptible to illnesses. To sleep well, you must avoid turning your home into another office and don’t make your bedroom an entertainment centre. Learn to push your job or business out of your mind once you are in bed.

Engage in regular physical activity

Man is made to be mobile. For those whose jobs require long hours of sitting at a desk, physical activity is non-negotiable. Your muscles and body become stiff if not actively used. An active lifestyle has been found to be “an effective way to achieve healthy aging.” Exercise refreshes you; it tones your body, heart and mind, making you agile, flexible, sharper, and better able to handle pressure and diseases. Adopt an exercise regime that fits your personality and your work schedule. People are usually too ‘busy’ to exercise, unfortunately when they become ill, they spend money and time, which they claimed not to have, trying to get cured. Walking, jogging, dancing, skipping, or playing football, basketball, tennis, and other sports are activities you can fit into your schedule, depending on your preference. You don’t have to take the lift all the time; climb up stairs for a change. Take a stroll in the evenings, particularly on weekends, around your neighbourhood. You don’t have to take the vehicle out always; walk sometimes when on social visits and your destination is less than 1.5km and the weather is friendly.

Develop hygienic habit

Cleanliness is next to godliness, they say. Indeed, ensure your environment is spic and span, be it your home or your workplace. Dirty environments compromise your health as you are exposed to germs and other infections. Dirty places attract disease vectors such as cockroaches, rodents, ticks, lice, bacteria, germs, and many others. Exert the extra effort to clean your environment regularly. Also, avoid dirty and polluted places as much as you can. Cities such as Port Harcourt and Lagos are, unfortunately, usually dirty and smoke-filled from vehicle and generator fumes. But you can still turn your home and office into your sanctuary by ensuring they are always clean. Somebody suggested planting flowers and shrubs around your home or office. They act as filters for dust and smoke.

Avoid self-medication

This is very prevalent today. And a lack of proper regulation further fuels the tendency. You can get virtually any medicine you desire in any of the ubiquitous ‘pharmacy stores’ in the country. You are feverish, you self-diagnose and self-prescribe. You have joint pains; you immediately become your doctor. This is very dangerous as you put your health at risk from overdose, addiction, or wrong application of drug, any of which could be fatal. Don’t presume to understand your medical problem, leave the doctoring to those trained for it. That way you are not likely to make worse a routine medical condition.

Socialise with friends/family

Having a network of good quality friends, people to share your feelings, achievements, worries, concerns, and fears with will help lessen stress and anxiety. True friends lend emotional and physical support, provide an information base, and give you a sense of belonging. Make friends in your worship place, at work, your neighbourhood, everywhere you are. If you are the partying or clubbing type, then learn to let your hair down once in a while with friends. Remember, what you give is what you get. Learn to be genuinely interested in knowing and helping people around you, no matter their societal status. That way, you readily get help when you need one. Also, don’t forget to maintain close family ties. This helps a great deal. We were created to socialise. Even monks live in groups.

Go for regular check-ups

We are often too ‘busy’ to go for check-ups until we finally break down. Regular checkups act as signposts that show us areas of our health we need to pay attention to and or some of the indulgencies we need to stop before they cost us dearly, health-wise. Some ailments could be successfully managed or cured if detected on time, saving us money and time before they become chronic. Such can only be detected if regular examinations are conducted.

As I congratulate our women on IWD, we, both men and women, must explore ways to ensure we remain healthy and strong physically, mentally, and spiritually. Be moderate in whatever you do and avoid risky behaviours, because only a healthy person can engage in profitable enterprise and reap the benefits of the enterprise.