Specialists talk about challenges in Nigeria’s well being sector, demand pressing reforms

Well being sector leaders and policymakers on Thursday outlined pressing steps Nigeria should take to strengthen major healthcare (PHC) supply and mobilise sustainable financing in a quickly shifting post-aid setting.

They spoke on the 2025 Nationwide Well being Dialogue hosted by PREMIUM TIMES in partnership with the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Growth (CJID), with help from the Gates Basis.

The discussion board introduced collectively authorities officers, world well being specialists, civil society actors and journalists underneath the theme: “Proof, Innovation, and Financing for a More healthy Nigeria.”

The actual value of PHC

A panel moderated by Tolulope Aderelu-Balogun of Information Central featured the Govt Secretary of the Kaduna State Main Well being Care Board, Bello Jamoh; Govt Secretary of the Kwara SPHCDA, Nusirat Elelu; CEO of Nisa Premier Hospital, Ibrahim Wada; Editor-in-Chief of the African Journal of Well being Economics, Obinna Onwujekwe; and PREMIUM TIMES Well being Editor, Nike Adebowale-Tambe.

The session examined the “Actual Value of Main Healthcare: Analyzing the State of PHC Supply on the Sub-Nationwide Stage.”

Mr Jamoh mentioned Kaduna State now replaces retiring well being staff instantly to stop service disruption. He famous that the state manages 260 PHCs, “with greater than 200 absolutely useful,” and is constructing “generation-to-generation well being capability” via sturdy supervision and group engagement.

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Mrs Elelu mentioned Kwara is revitalising not less than one absolutely useful PHC per LGA and has recruited “over 1,000 well being staff this 12 months.”

She added that upgraded PHCs now run 24-hour providers supported by safety personnel, perimeter fencing and employees quarters. The state, she mentioned, can also be strengthening equitable distribution, digital capability and emergency response.

Mr Wada underscored the function of investigative journalism in bettering well being accountability, noting that regardless of troubling public well being indices, private-sector contributions and public–personal partnerships provide hope for higher outcomes.

Talking on the media’s function, Mrs Adebowale-Tambe mentioned many well being staff are afraid to share data due to job insecurity. She highlighted the impression of visible storytelling: “The documentary proven at the moment made the disaster really feel extra actual. Faces and struggling had been seen.”

She urged newsrooms to collaborate extra, citing world cross-border initiatives such because the Panama Papers and Pandora Papers.

Addressing PHC safety considerations, Mrs Elelu mentioned safety ranges differ by group danger however insisted that each one upgraded PHCs in Kwara “should have devoted safety personnel” to function round the clock.

Mr Jamoh mentioned sustainable PHC growth requires balancing political priorities with technical wants. Kaduna, he mentioned, goals to cut back maternal mortality by 25–30 per cent in two years via improved labour administration, emergency response coaching, and strengthened reproductive well being care.

Financing well being in a post-aid period

A second panel moderated by Enitan Tejuoso of the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Worth Chain (PVAC) featured Charles Doherty of the Ekiti Well being Insurance coverage Scheme; Uchenna Igbokwe, CEO of Solina Centre; Amina Dorayi, senior nation director at Pathfinder Worldwide; and Biobele Davidson, Strengthening Well being Methods lead at BudgIt.

Mr Igbokwe warned that Nigeria’s heavy dependence on exterior funding for immunisation and different public well being programmes is unsustainable. He referred to as for expanded necessary medical insurance, a rise within the Primary Well being Care Provision Fund from one to 2 per cent, and extra strategic private-sector participation.

Ms Dorayi mentioned Nigeria should “construct a sovereign well being system” by lowering reliance on help. She proposed that each state ministry dedicate one per cent of its price range to a community-managed well being belief fund. She additionally emphasised preventive care, way of life modification, clear well being communication, and treating girls’s well being as a “state of emergency.”

Mr Doherty mentioned Nigeria should transfer from rhetoric to motion, noting that out-of-pocket spending stays above 70 per cent, whereas most states allocate lower than 5 per cent of their budgets to well being—far under the Abuja Declaration goal. He added that donor funds “typically get misplaced in logistics,” with as much as 65 per cent spent on overheads slightly than providers.

Ms Davidson highlighted the necessity for group possession, transparency and digital accountability instruments such because the PHC Tracker. She mentioned selections should “replicate the voices of these affected” and referred to as for stronger price range credibility and data-driven planning.

Mr Igbokwe added that Nigeria should domesticate “thousands and thousands of native well being champions,” citing the Neighborhood Girls’s Orientation Community, which trains younger girls who already ship vaccines house-to-house to function group well being educators.

Federal authorities commitments
Earlier, the Minister of Well being and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, mentioned the federal authorities is working to safe the best well being price range in Nigeria’s historical past, curb wasteful spending and strengthen accountability.

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He mentioned many years of underinvestment, weak governance and unclear duties have denied Nigerians dependable healthcare.

The 2025 Dialogue

The dialogue additionally featured a fireplace chat with Mr Pate, alongside remarks from the NPHCDA Director-Basic, Muyi Aina; the NACA Director-Basic, Temitope Ilori; and several other state well being commissioners.

A devoted session on state-level financing priorities for 2026 featured shows from the Everlasting Secretary of the Abia State Ministry of Well being, Ifeyinwa Blossom; the Jigawa State Commissioner for Well being, Muhammad Kainuwa; and the Katsina State Commissioner for Well being, Musa Funtua.

The occasion additionally showcased excellent well being journalism by PUNCH Newspaper, group well being engagement methods by Nigeria Well being Watch, and well being innovation exhibitions by DRO Well being, HelpMum and Dobic Well being.