THE IMPACT OF PUBLIC HEALTH EXPENDITURE ON HEALTH OUTCOMES IN NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

Despite accounting for a significant share of government spending, public health expenditure in Nigeria remains inefficiently allocated, highlighting the need for a data-driven approach to optimize its impact on health outcomes. This study examines the relationship between public health expenditure and health outcomes in Nigeria, with a focus on life expectancy at birth and under-5 mortality rate. Using a dataset from 1990 -2022, we employ descriptive statistics and regression analysis to investigate the impact of public health expenditure, GDP growth rate, and expected years of schooling on health outcomes. Our findings suggest that public health expenditure has a positive and significant impact on life expectancy at birth and a negative and significant impact on under-5 mortality rate. Additionally, GDP growth rate and expected years of schooling are found to have positive impacts on health outcomes. The study's findings have important implications for healthcare policy and resource allocation in Nigeria, highlighting the need for increased investment in public health expenditure to improve health outcomes. The study contributes to the existing literature by providing new insights into the relationship between public health expenditure and health outcomes in Nigeria, and informs policy decisions to improve healthcare infrastructure and access.