JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND DISEASES
Integrity Research Journals
ISSN: 2705-2214
Model: Open Access/Peer Reviewed
DOI: 10.31248/JPHD
Start Year: 2018
Email: jphd@integrityresjournals.org
Reimagining geriatric care in Nigeria: Challenges, systemic gaps, and the emerging role of innovative community-based home healthcare – A narrative review
https://doi.org/10.31248/JPHD2025.180 | Article Number: 9B2B71EC2 | Vol.7 (6) - December 2025
Received Date: 25 November 2025 | Accepted Date: 19 December 2025 | Published Date: 30 December 2025
Authors: Mbagwu Osita C.* , Iwuagwu Kelechi V. , Ezeani Kamsiyochukwu A. , Ibekwe Stephanie C. , Maduabuchi Joshua T. , Ugwu Ruth C. and Osinachi-Okoh Julia N.
Keywords: Ageing population, community-based healthcare, geriatric healthcare, health policy, home-based care.
Rapid global population ageing presents a major public health challenge, particularly in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) like Nigeria, where the elderly population is projected to exceed 23 million by 2050. Nigeria's healthcare system remains severely unprepared, focusing traditionally on acute infectious diseases while neglecting the chronic, complex needs of older adults. This narrative review synthesised findings from 46 academic articles and policy reports identified via major bibliographic databases (e.g., PubMed, Scopus) and grey literature from 2014 to 2024. The data was analysed across four thematic areas: demographic trends, service gaps, access barriers, and global care models. The findings indicate a systemic crisis in Nigerian geriatric care, characterised by a critical shortage of specialists (fewer than ten geriatricians), high reliance on prohibitive out-of-pocket health expenditure, and the operational non-implementation of the 2021 National Policy on Ageing. Service delivery is fragmented and dependent on untrained informal caregivers. Comparative analysis of international models (India’s NPHCE, Brazil’s FHS, South Africa’s WBOTs) suggests that integrated, task-shifting, community-based approaches are viable and scalable solutions. In conclusion, the geriatric health in Nigeria is critically underserved and financially exclusive. This review strongly recommends the immediate execution of the National Policy on Ageing, paired with reform of the national health insurance benefit package, to adopt and scale integrated community-based care models that bridge the specialist and access gaps.
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