By Hassan Hussain
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, says ongoing health sector reforms have begun to yield measurable results, with over 3,000 Primary Healthcare Centres revitalised nationwide and quarterly patient visits increasing to about 45.5 million.
Professor Pate stated this at the launch of the Nigeria Governance and Key Systems (NG-CARES) Additional Financing, HOPE and SOLID Programmes in Abuja.
He called on state governments, local councils, development partners, and Nigerians to support the implementation of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda in the health sector.
He explained that the reforms are anchored on the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative unveiled by President Tinubu in December 2023, and are aimed at strengthening governance, expanding access to quality healthcare, improving financial protection, enhancing health security, and boosting the country’s capacity to respond to public health emergencies.
The Minister said the reforms, being implemented under the One Plan, One Budget, One Report framework, are supported through the Renewed Hope Primary Healthcare Programme, the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund, the Multi-Donor Trust Fund, and contributions from the Federal and State Governments.
Professor Pate disclosed that over 43,000 women and newborns had benefited from the national emergency medical transport system, while more than 78,000 frontline health workers had been retrained to improve healthcare delivery.
He added that 251 secondary healthcare facilities had also been equipped to strengthen maternal and newborn health services across the country.
The Minister noted that improvements had also been recorded in antenatal care attendance, institutional deliveries, childhood immunisation, and family planning uptake, describing the achievements as evidence that the ongoing reforms were delivering positive outcomes.
Professor Pate further announced that the $570 million HOPE Primary Healthcare Programme would improve access to quality healthcare for about 40 million Nigerians, reduce maternal and under-five mortality, and strengthen primary healthcare services in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Speaking at the event, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, said the $562 million HOPE-EDU Programme would extend education sector reforms to nearly 30 million children.
According to him, the initiative will support 65,000 public schools and about 500,000 teachers, while expanding school infrastructure, reducing learning poverty, and improving literacy and numeracy through a digital education monitoring system.
Also speaking, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Bernard Doro, said the SOLID Programme would provide sustainable support for internally displaced persons and vulnerable households, moving beneficiaries beyond emergency relief to self-reliance and economic productivity.
He explained that the programme aligns with the Ministry’s One Humanitarian, One Poverty Response System, which integrates social protection, poverty reduction, and livelihood support under a unified national framework.
In a goodwill message, the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and Governor of Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, represented by Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, reaffirmed the commitment of the 36 state governors to the successful implementation of the programmes.
He described the initiatives as strategic investments that would strengthen governance, improve healthcare and education, expand economic opportunities, and enhance service delivery across the country.
Governor AbdulRazaq also commended the World Bank for its continued partnership with Nigeria in promoting accountability, social protection, and sustainable development.
Key edits: Fixed punctuation, standardized numbers, removed duplicate name, corrected grammar and spacing.
