FG renovates 3,526 PHCs, trains 78,000 health workers 

Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, has warned that non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including hypertension, diabetes, cancer and stroke, are becoming Nigeria’s fastest-growing health challenges, and has urged state governments to increase investment in healthcare to strengthen the country’s capacity to respond.

This was as the Federal Government renovated and commissioned 3,526 primary healthcare centres (PHCs) across the country, while work is nearing completion on an additional 91 facilities, as part of efforts to expand access to quality and affordable healthcare for Nigerians.

Pate, who spoke at the unveiling of the two-volume publication, A Review of Non-Communicable Diseases in Nigeria, produced by the Health Sector Reform Foundation of Nigeria (HERFON), said the country’s health system must urgently prepare for a growing burden of chronic diseases as life expectancy improves and the population ages.

He acknowledged progress in tackling infectious diseases, maternal and child mortality, but cautioned that NCDs were emerging as a major public health concern requiring sustained funding, improved diagnosis, affordable treatment and coordinated action across all levels of government.

According to him, while malaria, tuberculosis (TB), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and maternal health challenges remain important, the growing prevalence of chronic illnesses presents a different set of demands because many affected patients require lifelong medical care.

He said:“In the past 30 to 40 years, infectious diseases and maternal and child health were the main issues. They are still with us, but NCDs, though smaller, are becoming an increasingly faster-growing segment of our burden of disease.”

Pate attributed the emerging challenge partly to lifestyle changes and population ageing, noting that longer life expectancy could mean more Nigerians living with chronic conditions that require continuous monitoring and treatment.

“Is our health system ready to tackle it?” he asked.

The minister called on state governments to complement federal reforms with increased health-sector funding, saying improvements in the country’s fiscal position and the resources available to states should translate into better healthcare delivery.

He commended HERFON and the publication’s contributors for providing analysis and recommendations that could guide Nigeria’s response to the growing disease burden.

Disclosing that nearly 80,000 frontline health workers had been retrained in the last three years, while training curricula for medical and nursing students had been expanded, he said the number of medical students being trained had doubled.

Pate further disclosed that a major infrastructure project at the National Hospital had recently received approval from the Federal Executive Council, with an estimated cost of N268 billion.

ountry Director of the Network for Health Equity and Development (NHED), Dr Emmanuel Sokpo, said the growing burden of NCDs had significant implications for health equity, particularly for poor and vulnerable Nigerians.

THE Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Muyi Aina, at the agency’s quarterly media briefing, outlined the progress recorded under the ongoing primary healthcare revitalization programme and other interventions aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s healthcare system.

Providing details of the primary healthcare revitalization programme, Aina said the government had made substantial progress in addressing the poor state of many public health centres inherited at the beginning of the administration’s reform efforts.

According to him, 4,434 facilities have either been completed or are nearing completion, with 3,526 fully renovated, commissioned and handed over to the relevant state governments and local government authorities.

He noted that the agency was working to expand the number of functional primary healthcare facilities across wards to bring services closer to communities, adding that the programme was designed to ensure Nigerians could access essential healthcare services without travelling long distances or relying entirely on private providers.