The Coordinating Minister of health and social welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate has disclosed that the Federal Ministry of Health has disbursed N45 billion to primary health care services and revitalised 2,600 healthcare facilities in the country.
He made this known on Wednesday in Abuja during the first-ever sector-wide Joint Annual Health Review ( JAR) organised by the ministry.
He also said the ministry had allocated financial and human resources across over 8,000 primary healthcare centers via the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (HCPF).
He said the federal government had, also with the help of partners, mobilised more than $3 billion in complementary funding, including $2.1 billion confirmed, noting that it supplements the efforts of the federal government.
While saying that the ministry set a target to retrain 120,000 frontline health workers in alignment with Mr. President’s commitment to strengthening the health workforce, he added that so far, more than 40,000 workers have received training.
Prof. Pate also said that data from the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) reveals a 16.7% reduction in under-five mortality between 2018 and 2023, and that the country has also recorded a 40% reduction in diarrheal diseases, a 24% reduction in tuberculosis, and a 12% reduction in HIV prevalence.
The Minister of State, Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako said the Joint Annual Review (JAR) is a vital instrument for health sector stakeholders to assess programme performance, evaluate resource distribution, and review outcomes or issues that need to be addressed to improve performance.
The Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) and Imo State governor, Hope Uzodinma said one of the landmark initiatives introduced by the federal government to enhance safety and efficiency in the health sector is the sector-wide approach, saying it promotes one budget, one plan, one conversation, and one report.
Nigeria has suffered mass exodus of healthcare workers due to poor infrastructure and welfare packages. It is hoped that the revitalised healthcare facilities in the country would encourage healthcare workers to dedicate their services to the country.
