Abstract
In the last three decades, the Nigerian government has shown stylized evidence of huge amount of fund spent in combating the HIV-AIDS, hepatitis and measles scourge yet the challenge is still unmitigated. This study evaluated the effect of government spending on these three common health pandemic on Nigeria's health outcome proxied by life expectancy.. The study made use of time series data from 1990 to 2020 on life expectancy and primary health spending on Tetanus (Teta), measles, HIV and Hepatitis (Hepa). The study adopted standard econometrics method by employing Auto Regression Distribution Lag (ARDL) estimation technique. The test of unit root and Pesaran and Shin (2001) bound testing procedure of test of cointegration. The unit result revealed a mixed order of integration and long run relationship of the variables under study. The findings revealed the coefficient of HIV is (1.52) with a p-value of (0.0009) indicating a positive significant relationship between expenditure on HIV and healthcare outcomes which implies that one per cent increase in government expenditure on HIV-AIDS raises the scourge by about 1.52 per cent. On the other hand, and Measles had significantly improved life expectancy in Nigeria with coefficients of 0.588% and 1.52 per cent respectively and evidence from the result suffices that coefficient of government healthcare spending on measles is (0.0005) with a corresponding p-value of (0.000) less than 5 per cent minimum threshold. In effect, government spending on measles has positive and significant effect on life expectancy rate. Finally, the coefficient of public expenditure on hepatitis is (-0.0718) with a corresponding p-value of (0.32) greater than the (0.05) level of significance. This means that Healthcare expenditure on hepatitis increases life expectancy in Nigeria by 0.07%. Since government expenditure on these aspects of health needs do not increase life expectancy, the government should diversify health spending in the area that have the potentials of increasing life expectancy rate such as nutrition support programmes, hygiene and safe living sensitization.