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“Hospitals often turn away patients unable to pay upfront, even in critical cases, leading to tragic delays and preventable deaths.”

In today’s Yaba School of Thought column on BusinessDay, Ogie Eboigbe, FNIPR, MIPRA, explores how Nigeria’s healthcare system is struggling to balance ethics and economics.

The article, “The Hippocratic Oath in a Changing World: Reimagining Medical Ethics for the Realities of Nigeria’s Healthcare System,” calls for a deeper reflection on what it means to be a medical professional in a country where survival sometimes comes before service.

Eboigbe argues that while the classical Hippocratic Oath remains a symbol of integrity, it must evolve beyond ceremonial recitation.

He writes that ethical reform must go hand in hand with structural change, especially since “Nigeria’s health system remains chronically underfunded, with less than 5% of the national budget allotted to health in recent years.”

The piece challenges us to reimagine an oath that reflects compassion, courage, and conscience — one that acknowledges local realities while preserving the timeless call to serve humanity.

✍🏽 By Ogie Eboigbe, FNIPR, MIPRA
Executive Vice President, INSDEC and Publisher, Epa.com Limited – The Wisdom Blog