Odimmegwa Johnpeter/Abuja
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, has disclosed that more than 40,000 women across Nigeria have already accessed timely life-saving medical interventions through facilities benefiting from the Federal Government’s healthcare renewal programme.
Pate made this known on Friday in Abuja during the official launch of the distribution of medical equipment for Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (CEmONC) to secondary healthcare facilities across states under the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp) initiative.
Represented by Dr. Muyi Aina, Executive Director, National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), the Minister said the intervention was aimed at ensuring that every Nigerian mother has the opportunity to give birth safely, while every newborn is given a chance to survive and live a healthy life.
According to the minister, the event marked another major milestone in the country’s healthcare reform efforts.
“This moment is historic. Six months ago, we gathered at the National Primary Health Care Development Agency to flag off the distribution of equipment and commodities to primary healthcare centres nationwide. Today, we are taking another bold step by focusing on the secondary level of care,” he said.
Pate commended the SWAp coordination office led by Dr. Mya Ngon for its dedication and commitment in driving the reforms and mobilising stakeholders towards improving healthcare delivery.
He noted that the programme had already started yielding measurable results.
“Over 40,000 women have already accessed timely life-saving interventions in facilities benefiting from early implementation. These are not just numbers. These are our mothers and our heroes who have been given a second chance at life,” he stated.
The minister recalled that the healthcare transformation agenda was initiated about three years ago under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, with strong collaboration from development partners and stakeholders across all levels of government.
He explained that the reforms were built around a common set of commitments aimed at reducing both the physical and financial burden of healthcare on Nigerians through the adoption of the Sector-Wide Approach.
Pate expressed satisfaction that the partnership among the Federal Government, state governments, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, commissioners for health, hospital management boards, local governments and development partners had continued to produce concrete results.
According to him, the latest intervention involves the provision of medical equipment worth nearly $200,000 to states, while about 200 additional healthcare facilities across 30 states would benefit from the initiative.
“With combined resources and aligned priorities, we are beginning to see results across the country. For the first time, resources are being deployed at this scale to improve the quality of healthcare services,” he said.
The minister, however, stressed that infrastructure and equipment alone would not solve the challenges facing the health sector.
He urged state governments to intensify efforts towards rehabilitating and adequately staffing secondary healthcare facilities, which he described as the level of care most affected by workforce shortages.
“We need to ensure that these facilities are not just equipped but truly functional. Secondary healthcare facilities remain crucial referral centres as we continue efforts to strengthen primary healthcare services across the country,” he added.
The ceremony was attended by dignitaries in the health sector and development partners, including Dr. Abdulwahab Ahmad, Nigeria Governors’ Forum; Dr. Ben Nkechika, representative of ALGON Chairman; Dr. Oyebanji Filani, Commissioner of Health, Ekiti State Ministry of Health and Human Services and Chairman, Nigeria Health Commissioners Forum; Dr. Nnenna Kalu, representative of Director General, National Health Insurance Authority; Dr. Olumide Okunola, Senior Health Specialist, World Bank and Dr. Funmi Adesanya, Senior Health Assistance Coordinator, US Embassy.
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