The Coordinating Minister for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Alli Pate, on Sunday revealed that Nigeria has the capacity to deal with medical emergencies in the country.
However, Dr. Pate, who stated this during Sunday Politics, noted that Nigeria still requires more investment in its health system.
“I will tell you that all investments are necessary and have been made to ensure that we have the necessary facilities to deal with emergencies. People may choose to stay home for different reasons, historical and medical. If, for example, 10 years ago you had surgery with a provider that was done in Ghana, it is logical that you would want to go back to that provider, not because they don’t respect you, but if you have a new problem, it may be a problem that can happen. I will address that here.”
When talking about the call for the establishment of legacy centers, I would like to highlight health changes such as heart surgeries, kidney transplants and some brain surgeries.
He said, “Yes. I think the area of coronary artery care is where we should be heading, but it requires investments in physical infrastructure, in world-class equipment and also in talent. Some of our hospitals have already developed some of those specializations, some of which are transplants, for example, or whatever it’s called.”
“We have a national eye hospital and an ear hospital. So there are specializations available. The problem is that many of us don’t really know the depth of what exists in Nigeria. So we walk around not knowing that there are certain things we can get here.
“Although, in many of the hospitals I have known, some of them received training abroad and came back to serve in hospitals here in Nigeria.”
According to him, President Bola Tinubu’s administration has in the last two years increased healthcare funding from around 4 per cent in 2023 to over 5 per cent, showing a reasonable jump in public resources injected into the sector.
He revealed that with the ongoing health sector reforms, the administration highlighted four cardinal areas aimed at strengthening health insurance coverage, improving working conditions for health professionals, ensuring quality care is more accessible to micro policyholders, and increasing international partnership and collaboration.
He added that the country also recorded important successes in the areas of maternal mortality, malaria
It further noted that 20 out of 36 state governments have improved their performance in 2025 compared to 2024, with more than 67 percent of respondents confident in the government’s response to health emergencies and the expansion of primary health care.
According to him, before the administration took over, 8,000 basic health care centers received direct funding from the basic health care fund, but access to funding has expanded by 5,000.
According to him, in the first quarter of 2025, there were more than 80 million visits to such basic healthcare centers across Nigeria, compared to about 20 million in 2023.
The administration also immunized 59 million children during the most recent campaign, adding that between 2023 and 2025 in 172 local government areas that have the highest burden of maternal mortality, the maternal mortality rate was reduced by 10 percent, surpassing 21 million in terms of health insurance coverage against about 16 million.
Responding to the number of citizens covered by the NHIS, he revealed that 7 million Nigerians are insured in the informal sector, while 2.4 million are insured in the formal sector, adding that there are other citizens covered in the informal sector.
He added that 50 million Nigerians will be the target eventually, but this can be achieved by providing adequate funding.
He also revealed that of the six centers being built by the current administration, three cancer centers have been completed and three are under construction.
Dr Pate added that no less than 73,000 health workers have been retrained so far, while the government intends to increase insurance coverage as incomes rise as part of efforts to address the long-standing problem of underinvestment in the country’s health sector.
Despite the progress made in reducing the scourge of malaria, he regretted that of the billions of mosquito nets distributed throughout the African continent, none have been produced in Africa.
He, however, expressed excitement over the inauguration of a factory where mosquito nets will be built in Ogun State, as well as the reduction in the rate of meningitis, N-Pox and cholera, among others.
Some of the challenges facing the country in terms of malaria reduction include population growth, climate change and rainfall patterns; resistance and lack of availability of adequate medications, financing challenges, among others.
In particular, he lamented the declining resistance of families to the four doses of malaria vaccine implemented after the collection of the first dose.
He specifically expressed enthusiasm over the reduction of the malaria rate in Lagos State from 90 percent to five percent due to the proactivity of the state government.
Dr. Pate expressed optimism that the two-dose anti-malarial drugs will provide help to Nigerians despite the level of resistance.
While applauding the combined investments of N2.6 trillion made by the 36 state governments in fiscal year 2024, he charged all governors with the need to improve budget allocation in the coming years above the federal government threshold.
Responding to issues concerning the recurring industrial actions by doctors, the Minister, who lamented the development, stated that some of the issues raised are legacy issues, including over N50 billion owed since 2023, while others are being resolved amicably at various levels.
He said: “I have to say that in the last two and a half years we have experienced relative harmony. We have had no major disruptions in services, except during the period when the resident doctors, not the medical association, not the medical and dental consultants, just the trainee doctors, the younger doctors, who took on issues that were long-legacy issues, a long litany of issues that they brought to the fore, some of which are still happening today.
“Some of which were given, some of which were addressed, and some of which ultimately had to be renegotiated. So it’s unfortunate, and we hope they learned an important lesson: that you don’t, in fact, take a country hostage.”
While acknowledging that there were outstanding arrears from 2023, amounting to N50 billion, he revealed that the Minister of Finance has been able to “deal with them. There are medical residency transfers worth N10 billion, which were waived.”
“There are other issues of agitation around allowances and increases, that the Secretary of Government called for a collective bargaining mechanism, which is known in labor relations, which is on the way.”