Nigeria's Health Minister Reports Major Healthcare Achievements

The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced the revitalization of 3,526 primary healthcare centres and achievement of all 41 performance targets set for the health sector under President Bola Tinubu’s administration. This was disclosed by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Pate, during the third Nigeria Health Sector Joint Annual Review in Abuja.

Ongoing work includes an additional 900 primary healthcare centres, and 19,758 skilled birth attendants have been recruited across 22 states. The government has trained 78,054 frontline health workers and increased health insurance coverage from about 16 million to nearly 24 million Nigerians.

Maternal healthcare improvements include an increase in skilled deliveries from 4.8 million in 2023 to 7.9 million by mid-2026. The Basic Health Care Provision Fund has seen cumulative releases of N422.3 billion, with N249.5 billion disbursed under the current administration.

Despite these achievements, challenges remain, including a slight worsening of stunting and a decline in patient satisfaction with healthcare services.