Ali Pate Reels Out One Year Achievements As Health Minister

Eko Hot Blog reports that the Minister of Health and Social Welfare Prof Muhammad Ali Pate has presented a comprehensive one-year scorecard detailing the significant strides made under his leadership in Nigeria’s health sector.

The Minister made the presentation at a press briefing, held at Radio House Abuja on Friday.

He highlighted numerous initiatives and achievements that align with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Prof Pate categorized his one year achievements into five different areas, detailing the success recorded in each category.

Understanding the Needs

The Minister started by emphasizing the ministry’s commitment to understanding the expectations of Nigerians through the People’s Voices Survey.

“We embarked on a deliberative process to understand the expectations of Nigerians through the People’s Voices Survey.

We examined the experiences and expectations of Nigerians, the burden of diseases and how it is evolving, what is working well and what is failing, the state of health infrastructure, human resources, financing, and the overall state of health of Nigeria.” he said

Governance and Funding

According to Prof Pate, one of the key pillars of his strategy is improving governance within the health sector. He disclosed that the ministry signed a strategic compact with all 36 states and the FCT, backed by a $3 billion pledge from development partners.

“We signed a strategic compact with all the 36 States of the Federation and FCT, endorsed by Mr. President, during the unveiling of the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (SWAp) in December 2023. At that event, our partners pledged $3 billion, reflecting their confidence in Mr. President’s agenda.”

“Efforts to strengthen regulatory frameworks have also been pivotal.

The ministry has reinvigorated the leadership of 16 professional regulatory bodies and engaged health professional associations to foster a healthy work environment. A digital transformation agenda aims to establish electronic records and improve data governance.”

Population Health Outcomes

In a bid to improve population health outcomes, the ministry oversees 30 teaching hospitals, 22 federal medical centers, and 21 specialty hospitals. At the primary care level, a plan to revive and expand 8,300 primary health care centers (PHCs) to 17,000 over three years is underway. “At the primary health care level, through the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, in collaboration with the States, we outlined a plan to revive 8,300 primary health care centers across the nation to make them fully functional and to expand and upgrade to 17,000 Primary Health Care Centers over the next three years.”

The minister also disclosed that the ministry has commenced retraining of 120,000 frontline health workers over three years, with updated guidelines and secured training resources.

“In September, we announced the commitment to retrain 120,000 frontline health workers. This is part of a three-year agenda, and His Excellency, Mr. President, was recognized by the African Union as the African champion for human resources for health and community health delivery.”

Similarly, Prof Pate revealed the success recorded in vaccination efforts in the last one year.

“Vaccination efforts have also seen remarkable success, with over 5 million children vaccinated against diphtheria and more than 10 million receiving tetanus and diphtheria vaccines.

The ministry has also made significant strides in combating polio and measles, and initiated HPV vaccinations to protect girls against cervical cancer.

We are working hard to stop the circulating variant polioviruses showing up in Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, Zamfara, and Kebbi States.”

Infrastructure and Equipment

Prof Pate noted that the federal hospitals executed 201 specific infrastructure projects and procured 179 critical medical equipment pieces.

“Approximately 4.5 million Nigerians accessed outpatient services, and 1.6 million had inpatient admissions, reflecting the extensive use of federal health facilities.”

Health Workforce and Insurance

To address the shortage of health workers, the intake capacity of educational institutions has doubled, increasing enrollment quotas for medical and nursing schools.

The minister also disclosed that  managed migration policy for health professionals has been approved, and measures to address workload issues and compensation are being implemented.

On the demand side, Pate said the NHIA is being repositioned to expand insurance coverage, especially for the poor and vulnerable.

“Currently, 1.8 million Nigerians are covered through the Vulnerable Groups Fund at NHIA, with reforms planned to enhance private health insurance and strengthen the role of State Social Health Insurance Agencies (SSHIA).”

Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain

The Minister emphasized the importance of domestic production capabilities to retain economic value and create jobs.

“The ministry has finalized an executive order to reduce barriers to importing raw materials and equipment for pharmaceuticals and medical devices.

This policy shift aims to foster local production of essential items like syringes, generic pharmaceuticals, and test kits.” he added

Health Security and Research

Under Pate’s leadership, the NCDC has enhanced its capabilities to prevent disease outbreaks, supported by additional resources and a One Health Steering Committee.

Efforts to combat malaria have been revitalized with a comprehensive approach.

“Research and knowledge-building are also crucial, with the establishment of NHRC and NHREC to ensure ethical and intelligent research practices. Nigeria’s application to the Pandemic Fund aims to secure increased financing for health security.” He said

In closing, Pate expressed gratitude for the President’s leadership and collaboration with various stakeholders, reaffirming the commitment to Nigeria’s health sector renewal initiative.

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