Odimmegwa Johnpeter/Abuja
The Federal Government has commended efforts by diaspora based Nigerian healthcare professionals to improve healthcare in Nigeria, emphasizing its crucial support to enhance its sustainability.
Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako Honourable Minister of State for Health & Social Welfare stated
at the gala night of the just concluded Association of Nigerian Physicians in Americas (ANPA) 31st Annual Scientific Convention / 30 years anniversary celebration held at Eko Hotel, Victoria Island Lagos. This was contained in a statement signed by Alaba Balogun, Deputy Director, Information and Public Relations.
Looking back over ANPAs 30 years of existence, the Minister affirmed it’s diligent and unwavering commitment to conducting medical missions to Nigeria, enhancing capacity building of Nigerian-based healthcare professionals, providing medical interventions to the less privileged and, donating materials to health facilities across Nigeria.
To this end, Dr. Salako expressed profound appreciation of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR to Nigerian Diaspora Healthcare Professionals for their services, which align with the renewed hope agenda of his administration.
In his address, he further explained that the government prioritized health as a matter of rights and an urgent issue to be addressed for all Nigerians; underscoring the formulation of national health sector renewal investment initiative ( NHSRII) by the Federal Ministry of Health & Social Welfare.
“We have developed a health sector investment initiative as a blueprint to prevent physical and financial pains, to save lives and, to provide healthcare for all Nigerians,” the Minister explained .
Highlighting several milestone initiatives of the Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Salako asserted that the government is committed to unlocking the value chain in the health sector.
He urged diaspora Nigerian professionals to participate by investing in manufacturing, stressing the existence of a free tariff on imported raw materials and active pharmaceutical inputs.
He further pointed out that budgetary allocations for healthcare by the present administration have been on the upward increase. This, he stated, ensured that a policy on seamless recruitment of healthcare workers made it much easier, unlike the former cumbersome process.
Continuing, the Minister informed ANPA members that under the present administration, funding of healthcare regulatory bodies has been fully restored, marking a distinct departure from the previous administration’s policy.
Additionally, he stated that the government has strengthened domestic funding of its health sector in the face of the challenge around USAID.
” One clear example is that when the challenge around USAID funding came, the federal government quickly rose and cover the gap, provided in excess of $200 million in the budget of 2025 to ensure that projects around HIV, tuberculosis, malaria and so on and so forth, that are being funded by external support does not suffer”; Dr. Salako further highlighted.
Speaking at the event, the President of the Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas ANPA Dr. Cliff Eke canvassed for more effective collaboration and partnership with Nigerian based physicians to improve access and quality healthcare for 250 million Nigerians.
Hence, its sub-theme for this year’s mission: ” Aligning the Health Sector and Diaspora to Improve Healthcare in Nigeria”
This year’s 2025 ANPA medical mission to Nigeria themed ” Advancing Patient Care: Leadership, Research, and Strategic Investment” witnessed over 500 surgeries and dental care, including dental implants. Others are advanced laparoscopic connectomy, laparoscopic gynecologic surgeries, 387 cataract surgeries, 30 glaucoma operations at Indo Eye Clinic, first of its kind in Nigeria to be performed in three days, postpartum coverage etc.
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