By Becky Momodu
The Federal Government has unveiled a five-year, ₦70 billion National Oral Health Strategic Plan aimed at eliminating Noma as a public health problem and expanding access to affordable dental healthcare across Nigeria.
The plan, covering 2026 to 2030, was launched by the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, on Monday in Abuja during the commemoration of National Noma Day and National Oral Health Day.
Salako said the initiative was part of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, stressing that oral healthcare must become an integral part of Nigeria’s healthcare delivery system, particularly at the Primary Healthcare level.
He expressed concern over the country’s high burden of Noma, particularly in the North-West and North-East, describing the disease as preventable but devastating, with the potential to cause severe facial disfigurement, disability and death, especially among malnourished children.
The minister noted that the World Health Organisation’s recognition of Noma as a Neglected Tropical Disease in 2023 marked a significant milestone in the global campaign against the disease.
He disclosed that more than 80 per cent of Nigerians had never visited a dentist, while two out of every three children lived with untreated dental caries.
He also highlighted the shortage of dental professionals, putting Nigeria’s dentist-to-population ratio at approximately 1:38,000, against the WHO-recommended ratio of 1:7,500.
To address the challenges, Salako said the Federal Government was strengthening the integration of oral healthcare into Primary Healthcare services through the Sector-Wide Approach and Basic Health Care Provision Fund.
He added that Noma surveillance had been integrated into the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response system, while frontline healthcare workers, traditional healers and traditional birth attendants had been trained across 19 states to identify early signs of the disease and facilitate prompt referrals.
The minister further disclosed that the Federal Executive Council had approved the National Centre for Oral Health Establishment Bill 2026 and transmitted it to the National Assembly for consideration.
According to him, the strategic plan provides for preventive oral healthcare, school-based programmes, access to fluoride toothpaste, sugar-reduction initiatives and the integration of oral health into maternal and child healthcare, nutrition and non-communicable disease programmes.
It also prioritises the training and equitable distribution of dental personnel, improved Primary Healthcare infrastructure, stronger referral systems and expanded access to oral healthcare services across all 774 local government areas.
Salako urged state and local governments to domesticate and implement the plan, while calling on development partners, including WHO, UNICEF and the FDI World Dental Federation, to sustain their support.
He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring that no Nigerian child suffers preventable death or permanent disfigurement from Noma.
In her remarks, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Daju Kachollom S. mni, represented by her Senior Technical Assistant, Dr Dogara Okara, said strengthening the capacity of frontline healthcare workers remained central to improving early detection and prevention of oral diseases.
She stressed that successful implementation of the strategic plan would require sustained collaboration among government institutions, development partners, professional associations, private sector organisations, academic institutions and communities.
Similarly, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Senator Ipalibo Harry-Banigo, reaffirmed the National Assembly’s commitment to making oral health an integral part of routine healthcare services.
She identified the Noma Children’s Hospital in Sokoto, the Intercountry Centre in Jos and the ongoing retrofitting of dental centres across federal university teaching hospitals as critical components of Nigeria’s response to the disease.
Harry-Banigo said legislative measures were being pursued to institutionalise routine oral health screenings, early diagnosis of dental infections and specialised training.
She also pledged stronger legislative oversight to ensure that appropriated funds translated into tangible healthcare services for affected children and families across the country.
In his goodwill message, the Country Representative of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Dr Aldikhari Ahmed, commended the Federal Government’s efforts to integrate Noma into Primary Healthcare guidelines and include the disease in the Surveillance Outbreak Response Management and Analysis System (SORMAS).
Providing an update on MSF’s collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and the Sokoto State Ministry of Health, Ahmed disclosed that the partnership had facilitated more than 1,759 major reconstructive surgeries for 1,174 patients through 35 surgical missions.
He added that 114 surgeries had been performed on 96 patients in 2026, while 28 Nigerian surgeons and 14 anaesthetists had received specialised training through the collaboration.
Also speaking, the WHO Country Representative in Nigeria, Dr Pavel Ursu, represented by Dr Victor, said Noma predominantly affected malnourished children between the ages of two and six, particularly those living in impoverished communities.
He emphasised that early detection and prompt treatment could prevent the devastating consequences of the disease, calling for improved capacity among frontline health workers, stronger surveillance systems and psychosocial support for survivors and their families.
Earlier, Dr Adebimpe Adebiyi mni, paid tribute to the humanitarian contributions of the late Mama Ute Winkler-Stumpf, founder of Hilfsaktion Noma, recalling her organisation’s collaboration with WHO and Nigerian authorities in establishing treatment infrastructure, including the Noma Centre in Abuja.
She said the legacy of the late humanitarian should inspire stakeholders to move beyond isolated clinical interventions towards sustainable healthcare systems focused on prevention, early diagnosis and community awareness.
