PROTOCOLS
- First, let me join to extend my warm greetings and welcome to everybody as we commence this journey of self and mutual assement in this year Joint Annual Review. This event is particularly consequential as it offers us the opportunity to reflect, review, and give an account of the stewardship of how we have promoted the health priorities of this administration, led by His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR) and our various sub-national heads. Over the last 30 months, the Renewed Hope Agenda has been established not just as a political promise, but as a comprehensive national transformation blueprint with the Nigerian Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (HSRII), its operationalization in the health sector being implemented to translate hope into positive health outcomes for our people.
- The 9 points Renewed Hope Agenda for health which clearly itemised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s health sector priorities is not just a statement of convinience but a covenant of this administration with Nigerians, a commitment to guarantee and safeguard the health of the people, and a determined stance to ensure that Nigerians benefit from the fruits of democratic governance.
- Going into the 3rd year of this administation, alongside subnational governments and our partners, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare is implementing and advancing bold reforms as elucidated in the Health Sector Strategic Blueprint in order to address the many challenges faced by the Nigerian health system including workforce shortages, infrastructural deficts, financing gaps, fragmentation and decreasing confidence in the system.
- We have put together a roadmap to guide our journey forward, embarked on clear, unambiguous strategic approaches that cut across policy frameworks, collaborative approach, strong implementation, infrastructure development and expansion, manpower optimization, performance benchmarks setting with clear monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, as well as continuous social engagements that ensure that the people remain at the center of our plans. Leveraging on the compact signed with the subnational governments and using the sector wide approach, we have also significantly addressed siloed implementation of the health agenda for Nigeria, while recognizing the federating structure of our country.
- Your Excellencies, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, the theme for year’s JAR “All Hands, One Mission: Bringing the Nigerian Health Sector to Light.” is an unwaivering prompt for us do more in our shared vision, and collective responsibility to improve governance, enhance population health outcomes, unlock our healthcare value chain and boost health security.
- The Operationalisation of the NHSRII is not just an opportunity for expense, it is an investment with clear returns. We estimate an economic return worth ₦4.8 trillion annually saved from losses to preventable disease recoverable through the blueprint. We will are equally poised to achieve a significant reversal of the direction of medical tourism with the potential to domestically retain an estimated ₦850 billion spent abroad annually by Nigerians on medical tourism. We forsee a massive social return in lives saved, with a potential 50% reduction in preventable maternal and child deaths, advancing equity by closing the almost 19-year life expectancy gap between states. NSHRII implementation will ensure that our health security is strengthened and we have a pandemic-ready health system.
- At the last count, under the roadmap, we have put in place not less 21 new strategic policies to drive our health agenda, health insurance coverage is being expanded, new health infrastructure are being provided including over 500 new high impact projects, 13 new federal tertiary health institutions and 6 cancer centrers of excellence. The PHC revitilization agenda is progressing, and the health reserach ecosystem is better organised to reflect domestic priorities.
- Though the National health financing budget from government is still far below the Abuja declaration of 15%, we have made some progress in the last 2 years even as we contnue explore additional innovative mechanisms to mobilize more financial resources for health. The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare strongly support the ongoing advocacy of the health committees in the national assembly to increase the BHCPF from its current 1% to 2% of the consolidated revenue fund. There has also been a paradigm shift with respect to disbursement of health budgets, as exemplified by the BHCPF, which is tied to key Disbursement Link Indicators (DLIs) that ensure that funds are disbursed for results rather than processes.
- We are set to start producing more health workers through our expansion strategy and also evolving mechanisms to retain better while organizing Nigerian health professsionals abroad so that they remain assets to our health system. Through the Nigeria Digital in Health Initiative, our National Digital Health Architecture is connecting thousands of health facilities with millions of patient encounters being recorded. We are also addressing the challenge of energy poverty and high cost through the Power 4 Health Initiative. In the long run, we see trust restored in the government’s ability to deliver on promises with enhance national stability and security from a healthy and productive population.
- As we give accounts of our stewardship at this JAR event for 2025, I wish to call on our State governments; the BHCPF requires your counterpart funding, our health insurance strategies need more robust implementation and we need more political capital at the state level with relevant policies implementation and necessary resource allocation. I call on our development partners to continue to improve allignment with NHSRII and step up catalytic support that helps us to leverage, not substitute domestic resources. I urge you to continue supporting the building of our systems and not parallel structures.
- Our traditional and religious leaders have been our trusted allies in this journey of Nigeria health sector transformation. I urge you to continue to help us reach communities and people we cannot, to continue advocating for better health-seeking behavior, championing end to harmful traditional practices, promoting the health of our mothers and protecting our children.
- We look to see additional private sector investment in health commodity manufacturing, equipment assembly cum manufacturing, production of life-saving medications and vaccines as well as investment in digitization and artificial intelligence to help improve health system governance, service delivery, and commodity security.
- The Renewed Hope Agenda is ambitious because Nigeria’s challenges are enormous. But hope without action is delusion. The NHSRII is the action to translate our hope into reality. The 9 health priorities of the Renewed Hope Agenda and the 4 pillars of NHSRII mean only one goal: a healthy and prosperous Nigeria.
- As we procceed in the next few days on the 2025 JAR, I urge us to examine our progress with unflinching honesty, celebrate successes, acknowledge failures and chart the path forward together with a renewed commitment towards universal health coverage for all Nigerians not later than 2030.
And so with peace and plenty, Nigeria shall succeed.
Thank you for your kind attention.
