ABSTRACT

This research works examines the health indices and the Nigeria's economic Growth.

In particular, the researcher is interested in knowing the type of correlation that exists between health indices and economic growth thereby, representing health indices such as infant mortality rate and life expectancy at birth. The researcher also represents the economic growth of Nigeria with Gross Domestic Product.

A series research made into the health sector shows that the infant mortality increased at an increasing rate from the year 1990 to 2000 but has been decreasing since then. This research study also reveals that there was a continuous decrease in life expectancy from the year 2000 to 2008 .According to this research study, these two health care indicators show that there is an inverse relationship between GDP and health indices in Nigeria.

Finally, this research study reveals that in order for the healthcare system to be a major determinant of the country's GDP (Nigeria), some vital roles should be played by the government at all levels such as financing the health care sector adequately, health problems should be extended to health economist and not only to the hands of health professionals and ministers, includes the training of health economics in national policies among others.

CHAPTER ONE

1.1     INTRODUCTION

Health is the ability to perform one's roles or functions. It helps us develop what we are capable of doing to society at large.

Inadequate health contributed directly to redaction in productivity and loss of payment for the individuals, with disastrous consequences for the dependent class, The basic diagnostic point that good health is an integral part of development has therefore come take centre stage in development thinking; this point is due to the fact that only healthy people can earn income afford and seek medical care for themselves as well as their families, have better nutrition and experience more freedom to live healthier lives (Dr. Lius G. Bambo 2006).

It is pertinent to note that to sustain our global environment and improve the quality of living in our human settlements, we commit ourselves to sustainable patterns of production, consumption, transportation and settlement development pollution, prevention, respect for the carrying capacity of Ecosystem and the preservation of opportunities for future generations (U.N conference and human settlement ,HABIT ATII Istanbul, Turkey 1996).

In this respect there has been a growing in thrust to analyze the relationship between health and economic growth this notion was brought about by the world health organization (WHO) report on health (1999).  Dr. Chris Mwrska (2005) comments of reducing poverty and achieving sustained economic growth.

From this argument ,world health organization (WHO) urge African government and their partner to design National development plan that could provide opportunities for innovative reform for health and poverty reduction within past war or crisis reconstruction and also in the emergence of new democracies ( Brundtland , 1998).

In its renewed health for all policy the organization stressed that in addition to developing sustainable health system all organization efforts to improve health require making central to development by combating poverty and aligning sectoral programme of heath(Lipson 1996,Lius et,aI1997).

As development paradigms move from a faces on economic growth to more concern for poverty and local ownership improvement in health, outcomes have gained recognition in programmme of national development and civil society participation identifies as the largest single factor in development (Wolfenson, 1999 .world Bank 2000) .The World health organization (WHO) has constituted a commission on macroeconomics and health (CMH) with the task of conducting the needed analysis of how health related to macroeconomics and development issues.

Health indices are crucial part of economy development, especially in the developing countries .Health indices combine changes in both quality of life (QOL) and life expectancy (LIFEPEC).Health indices such as quality of life and life expectancy, infant mortality rate (IMR), disability adjusted life expectancy (DALE), material mortality rate(MMR) death indicators or health indi.ces of an economy are being provided solution to through three basic health sectors of the economy which are :secondary health care, primary health care and tertiary health care .All these sectors through their functions provides adequate measure to increase the labour force of the nation and invariably the level of production in the country . Therefore, it is necessary to appraise health indices in Nigeria as a important factors in her economic growth process.

1.2     BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Available resources are not always reliable accurate, adequate credible to tackle the priority public health problem in Nigeria .These resources are not accurate and are inadequate to lay down value judgment about the health problems in Nigeria demographic data such as census ,health survey examples are census other demographic data health survey e.t.c. are unreliable.

However, it is estimated by the united Nations that about 20%of Africa's population reside in Nigeria and that over 50% of African investment is in its most populous nation( Chinsmnan,1998) .In spite of substantial economic progress and social advancement in the past thirty years ,there is still much human suffering and setting a development agenda that meets the need of its citizenry in a cost effective and equitable way about 48.50/0 of the Nigeria population lives in absolute poverty (defined as earning less than S 1.00 per day ) with about 80% of the poor residing in the rural area (UNDP 1998) .The gross national product (GNP) has declined from S1.00 in 1980 to S260 in 1995 ,placing Nigeria among the 20 poorest countries in the world (UNDP 1998) .The quality of life indices recorded in 1980 was 38% in Nigeria ,the united Nation Department programme (UNDP) and human development index (HDI) for 2000 placed in Nigeria 151 of 174 countries assessed bagging behind Cameroon .Gambia, Ghana and Zambia without her National and human resource.