MENINGITIS; THE RESIDENT GUEST AND THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM IN NIGERIA (A CASE OF 2017)

September 5th, 2019, 5:36AM

This article seeks to review the preparedness of the health care system in the last outbreak of meningitis in Nigeria that has come to be our residential guest. Nigeria is one of the 26 countries within the extensive region of sub-Saharan Africa known as the "meningitis belt," where large epidemics occur. The outbreaks peak in the dry season in certain states is due to the low humidity and dusty conditions and usually end as the rainy season approaches, Meningitis is a tough disease and it is associated with overcrowding, which is why Nigeria records some of the highest incidences of the disease on the continent. Concerted efforts should centre on bringing the outbreak under control, as all stalk holders must work towards preventing outbreaks of this scale in the future. It is expected that States takes ownership of outbreak preparedness and ensure that all efforts put into preparedness translate to meaningful action for response. Hence local and international collaborations cannot be over emphasized in managing the epidemic.

EVALUATING THE EFFICACY OF HEALTH CARE FINANCING IN NIGERIA: EVIDENCE FROM OGUN STATE

September 7th, 2019, 8:20AM

The ways a country funds its health care delivery system could be an indicator of how much importance is placed on the commodity and its consumers. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the efficacy or otherwise of healthcare financing in Nigeria. To achieve the objective of the study, different questionnaires were designed and administered to the patients and health practitioners of a public hospital in Ogun State. The total number of questionnaire administered was 50 copies (25 copies for the patients; 25 copies for the health practitioners) and all the questionnaires were returned. A multiple regression analysis was adopted to justify the effectiveness of healthcare financing options on health services in Nigeria. The findings revealed that tax –based healthcare financing is effective inthe purchase of health services in Nigeria. Also, the result indicated that out-of-pocket healthcare financing has significant effect on health services in Nigeria. It is therefore recommended that while out –of-pocket may be necessary as means of purchasing health services, the government should intensify the use of tax-based healthcare financing to facilitate the provision of sustainable healthcare service in Nigeria.

DETERMINANTS OF CAPITAL FLOWS INTO NIGERIA: AN AUTOREGRESSIVE-DISTRIBUTED LAG (ARDL) APPROACH

September 9th, 2019, 4:53AM

The rate of capital flows into the emerging markets is alarming and has become a subject of debate in the literature. It is mostly believed that capital flows are beneficial to the economies of the developing countries as it engenders the efficient allocation of global resources thereby increasing the availability of capital required for investment and economic growth. Despite the general belief, the macroeconomic variables that determine capital flows remain controversial. In the light of this, the study attempted to examine the long-run and short-run determinants of capital flows into Nigeria. The study employed secondary data sourced from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), FRED Economic data, and World Development Indicator between the periods of 1986-2014. Using the econometric technique of Autoregressive Distributed Lag Model (ARDL), the study found that exchange rate (LnEXR) and stock market prices (LnSP) are important determinants of capital flows into Nigeria both in the short-run and long-run. It is, therefore, recommended that the government, through its policies, should make concerted effort in boosting the activities at the stock market in a bid to attract capital flows into the country.

DYNAMIC INTERACTION BETWEEN CAPITAL FLOWS, EXCHANGE RATES AND GROWTH: EVIDENCE FROM NIGERIA

September 10th, 2019, 7:40AM

This paper examines the relationship between capital flows, exchange rate, and growth for the Nigerian economy for the periods 1986-2014. Employing the vector autoregressive (VAR) approach, empirical findings from the impulse response reveals that capital inflows respond negatively to changes in exchange rate. Also, the results show that capital inflows react positively to growth suggesting that the higher the economic growth the more the capital inflows. The study also shows that exchange rate response positively to shock in capital inflows suggesting that the more the capital inflows the more the Nigeria currency appreciates. Furthermore, it was found that growth responds positively to shock in capital inflows indicating that the higher the capital inflows the higher the rate of economic growth. The variance decomposition of capital inflows shows that variation in capital inflows is greatly influenced by growth. Also, the variance decomposition of exchange rate suggests that capital inflow plays a significant role in the variation of the exchange rate. Furthermore, the outcome of the study also shows that both the capital inflows and exchange rate produce almost the same influence on economic growth. Finally, employing the Granger causality in determining the causal relationship between the variables, it was found that there is a unidirectional causal relationship between growth and capital inflows in Nigeria. The implication of this study is that government should design and implement policies towards enhancing economic growth to stimulate capital inflow.

MENINGITIS; THE RESIDENT GUEST AND THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM IN NIGERIA (A CASE OF 2017)

September 5th, 2019, 5:36AM

This article seeks to review the preparedness of the health care system in the last outbreak of meningitis in Nigeria that has come to be our residential guest. Nigeria is one of the 26 countries within the extensive region of sub-Saharan Africa known as the "meningitis belt," where large epidemics occur. The outbreaks peak in the dry season in certain states is due to the low humidity and dusty conditions and usually end as the rainy season approaches, Meningitis is a tough disease and it is associated with overcrowding, which is why Nigeria records some of the highest incidences of the disease on the continent. Concerted efforts should centre on bringing the outbreak under control, as all stalk holders must work towards preventing outbreaks of this scale in the future. It is expected that States takes ownership of outbreak preparedness and ensure that all efforts put into preparedness translate to meaningful action for response. Hence local and international collaborations cannot be over emphasized in managing the epidemic.

EVALUATING THE EFFICACY OF HEALTH CARE FINANCING IN NIGERIA: EVIDENCE FROM OGUN STATE

September 7th, 2019, 8:20AM

The ways a country funds its health care delivery system could be an indicator of how much importance is placed on the commodity and its consumers. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the efficacy or otherwise of healthcare financing in Nigeria. To achieve the objective of the study, different questionnaires were designed and administered to the patients and health practitioners of a public hospital in Ogun State. The total number of questionnaire administered was 50 copies (25 copies for the patients; 25 copies for the health practitioners) and all the questionnaires were returned. A multiple regression analysis was adopted to justify the effectiveness of healthcare financing options on health services in Nigeria. The findings revealed that tax –based healthcare financing is effective inthe purchase of health services in Nigeria. Also, the result indicated that out-of-pocket healthcare financing has significant effect on health services in Nigeria. It is therefore recommended that while out –of-pocket may be necessary as means of purchasing health services, the government should intensify the use of tax-based healthcare financing to facilitate the provision of sustainable healthcare service in Nigeria.

DETERMINANTS OF CAPITAL FLOWS INTO NIGERIA: AN AUTOREGRESSIVE-DISTRIBUTED LAG (ARDL) APPROACH

September 9th, 2019, 4:53AM

The rate of capital flows into the emerging markets is alarming and has become a subject of debate in the literature. It is mostly believed that capital flows are beneficial to the economies of the developing countries as it engenders the efficient allocation of global resources thereby increasing the availability of capital required for investment and economic growth. Despite the general belief, the macroeconomic variables that determine capital flows remain controversial. In the light of this, the study attempted to examine the long-run and short-run determinants of capital flows into Nigeria. The study employed secondary data sourced from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), FRED Economic data, and World Development Indicator between the periods of 1986-2014. Using the econometric technique of Autoregressive Distributed Lag Model (ARDL), the study found that exchange rate (LnEXR) and stock market prices (LnSP) are important determinants of capital flows into Nigeria both in the short-run and long-run. It is, therefore, recommended that the government, through its policies, should make concerted effort in boosting the activities at the stock market in a bid to attract capital flows into the country.

DYNAMIC INTERACTION BETWEEN CAPITAL FLOWS, EXCHANGE RATES AND GROWTH: EVIDENCE FROM NIGERIA

September 10th, 2019, 7:40AM

This paper examines the relationship between capital flows, exchange rate, and growth for the Nigerian economy for the periods 1986-2014. Employing the vector autoregressive (VAR) approach, empirical findings from the impulse response reveals that capital inflows respond negatively to changes in exchange rate. Also, the results show that capital inflows react positively to growth suggesting that the higher the economic growth the more the capital inflows. The study also shows that exchange rate response positively to shock in capital inflows suggesting that the more the capital inflows the more the Nigeria currency appreciates. Furthermore, it was found that growth responds positively to shock in capital inflows indicating that the higher the capital inflows the higher the rate of economic growth. The variance decomposition of capital inflows shows that variation in capital inflows is greatly influenced by growth. Also, the variance decomposition of exchange rate suggests that capital inflow plays a significant role in the variation of the exchange rate. Furthermore, the outcome of the study also shows that both the capital inflows and exchange rate produce almost the same influence on economic growth. Finally, employing the Granger causality in determining the causal relationship between the variables, it was found that there is a unidirectional causal relationship between growth and capital inflows in Nigeria. The implication of this study is that government should design and implement policies towards enhancing economic growth to stimulate capital inflow.