The Federal Government of Nigeria has exhibited a commitment to building an emergency-responsive healthcare system in Nigeria towards enhancing the country’s level of preparedness in cases of epidemic outbreaks and other health emergencies.
This commitment was expressed by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammed Ali Pate, while delivering his keynote address at the Policy Dialogue for Health Security and Financing in Nigeria which was organized by the Legislative Initiative for Sustainable Development (LISDEL) with the support of Global Health Advocacy Initiative (GHAI).
Prof Pate noted that the government recognizes the urgency of updating health laws to address current realities, including managing infectious diseases, mental health, and non-communicable diseases.
Prof Pate who was represented by Nneka Orji, Deputy Director of the Department of Planning, Research and Statistics, explained that a key focus is establishing a strong legal framework that clarifies roles and responsibilities, ensures accountability, standardizes best practices, and guarantees geographic and financial access to quality healthcare for all citizens.
“To achieve this, Nigeria is implementing a sector-wide approach (SWOT program) that brings together government agencies, donors, private partners, and civil society groups to enhance coordination, efficiency, and transparency,” he said.
“The program aims to align sectoral initiatives with national policies, reduce duplication and optimize resource allocation, foster financial transparency and accountability, and promote partnership and information sharing among stakeholders.”
Shortly after the Policy Dialogue with the theme ‘Protecting Citizen’s Health: The Imperative of a Successful Legal Reform and Accountable System for Health Security Financing’, the Health Sector Reform Coalition (HSRC) held a press conference to highlight the grey areas that need to be addressed in public health financing in Nigeria.
The stakeholders said while notable progress has been made in establishing health security infrastructure, such as the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and the National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS), they said gaps in institutional coordination and financing remain.
They said legislative measures and accountability frameworks were essential to bridge the gaps and ensure Nigeria’s preparedness to handle public health threats.
They said coordination and financing challenges can be addressed through the Public Health Emergency Bill,
The dialogue also enjoined state governments to improve health security governance by establishing state centers for disease control and aligning with national health security objectives.
Dr. Mohammad Lecky, Chairman HRSC, said disease outbreaks and emergencies require a systematic approach through robust legislation and institutional policy programmatic responses that are properly contextualized in a credible national emergency response framework.
He said, “We must as a nation have the ability to protect ourselves from various threats to health, be it emergency disease outbreak or natural or manmade disaster. We must be positioned to prevent, detect and respond, taking actions that are prioritized as a national security response to safeguard public health, the economy and national security.”
On his part, Damilola Ademuyiwa, the Programme Director, LISDEL said there is a need for dedicated funding for the prevention and detection of public health threats, adding that the accountability framework was inspired to help ensure that there’s efficient utilization of resources for health security in the country.