Odimmegwa Johnpeter/Abuja
In assessing the compact signed by the federal government and state governments in the path of Sector-wide Approach, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, has revealed that Nigeria’s healthcare data across all 36 states will be evaluated in an upcoming Joint Annual Review (JAR) from November 6th to 8th, 2024.
He added that JAR aims to assess healthcare performance and identify areas needing improvement.
Speaking in Abuja, during a press briefing on Thursday ahead of the JAR, Professor Pate emphasized that the review will focus on key health areas such as reproductive and maternal health, HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, among others.
He reiterated that this effort is part of a broader initiative to address critical healthcare gaps, especially maternal mortality, and includes a strong commitment to data-driven decision-making. “In the past year, mechanisms like the People’s Perceptions Survey have been deployed to gauge public opinion and inform the process, aligning with the government’s goal to better respond to the needs of Nigerians.
Professor Pate highlighted significant progress achieved through ongoing collaborations, including quarterly performance dialogues with state governments and consultations with healthcare commissioners.
According to the coordinating Minister, efforts are also being concentrated on improving the availability of essential health commodities, retraining frontline health workers, and advancing maternal health initiatives, especially in local areas with high maternal mortality rates.
“Because, if you recall, the first pillar of the agenda is to improve governance and to orient the Nigerian health system to respond to the needs of Nigerians, which is the President’s renewed hope agenda, the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative.
“And as part of the compact, we agreed to implement mechanisms that would also counter inactivity in terms of services and improvement of the health system. Since then, we have taken important steps.
“And the joint annual review is one landmark event, the first of its kind, where we are collectively coming together to review the results that we have been able to demonstrate or begin to show on a much larger journey that is ahead of us of transforming Nigeria’s health care system. And we have had quarterly performance dialogues with states.”
Professor Pate further underscored the government’s renewed commitment to transforming Nigeria’s healthcare landscape, marking the Joint Annual Review as a pivotal step in achieving this vision.
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