59. The Complainants also submit that the right to life is also enshrined in Section 33
(1) of the Nigerian Constitution and in international human rights instruments
that Nigeria has ratified. They conclude that the right to life requires States to
take measures to protect individuals from arbitrary and avoidable loss of life and
that this right should not be interpreted in a restrictive manner.
Violation of the right to health and sexual and reproductive
health
60. The Complainants avow that Nigeria's per capita spending on health is USD 72,
one of the lowest in the world. They add that despite Nigeria's commitment in
the 2001 Abuja Declaration to allocate at least 15% of its annual budget to
improving the health sector, the Nigerian government has failed miserably to
meet this commitment. They claim that, on the contrary, the budget allocation to
the health sector has continued to be around 5-6%. According to the
Complainants, for a country endowed with so many natural resources, low
spending on health, including maternal health, is not only unacceptable, but the
failure of the Nigerian Government to reduce preventable maternal injuries and
deaths is a violation of the right to health.
.
61. The Complainants consider that the riglit to health, fully guaranteed by Article
16 of the African Charter, requires States to ensure the right to health of every
individual by taking the necessary measures to protect the health of their
populations and ensuring that this includes access.to medical care in the event of
illness. Relying on previous decisions of the Commission, the Complainants
insist that African.governments should ensure the provision of adequate health
care services to all women, particularly poor women and those living in rural
areas.
62. In their' submissions, the Complainants also refer to the Commission's
Concluding ()p;;er;ation~ ()p. Nigeria's 5th Periodic Report where it expressed
concern aboiif t1;1e"']ackof "a legal framework for health in Nigeria that clearly
defines the roles and responsibilities of health professionals, as well as the
oversight responsibilities of Government in the health sector as a whole. The
Commission therefore recommended the establishment of a comprehensive legal
framework to address these issues.
)"
63.
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