… Says 37,000 Workers Recruited Since 2023
The Federal Government has defended the ongoing reforms in Nigeria’s health sector, saying it has recruited more than 37,000 health workers since 2023 and implemented wide-ranging measures to strengthen healthcare delivery, improve access to quality services and address workforce shortages.
In a statement issued on Friday, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare acknowledged persistent challenges, including the migration of skilled health professionals, inadequate infrastructure, healthcare financing and limited access to quality care.
It, however, stressed that these concerns are the driving force behind the government’s comprehensive Health Sector Renewal Agenda.
According to the ministry, over 70,000 frontline health workers have also been trained to improve service delivery across the country.
It added that the Federal Government had approved the National Policy on Health Workforce Migration to enhance workforce planning, improve staff retention and promote ethical international recruitment, supported by the National Health Workforce Registry and investments in specialist training.
The ministry said reforms at the primary healthcare level were yielding positive results through the revised Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF 2.0). It disclosed that ₦32.9 billion had been approved under the new framework to support more than 8,300 Primary Health Care Centres, with expansion ongoing to about 13,000 facilities nationwide.
It noted that the reforms had already contributed to more than 80 million patient visits, while over 21 million vulnerable Nigerians had accessed healthcare services through the Vulnerable Groups Health Insurance Fund.
The ministry added that disease surveillance and emergency preparedness had also improved through the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention’s Gateway under the BHCPF.
To tackle the high cost and limited availability of medicines, the ministry said the government was expanding local pharmaceutical manufacturing through the Presidential Initiative to Unlock the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC), aimed at boosting local production, strengthening medicine security and making essential medicines more affordable.
The statement further said investments were being made in health infrastructure, maternal and newborn healthcare, emergency preparedness, digital health systems and accountability mechanisms across the sector.
According to the ministry, the 2025 Joint Annual Review showed that 84 per cent of the key performance indicators under the Presidential Health Sector Renewal Compact had been achieved, reflecting steady implementation of the government’s health reform agenda.
While admitting that significant challenges remain, the ministry maintained that meaningful health sector transformation requires sustained implementation rather than rhetoric.
“Our mandate remains clear: to save lives, reduce both physical and financial pain, and improve the health and wellbeing of all Nigerians,” the ministry stated, reaffirming its commitment to working with healthcare professionals, development partners, civil society, the private sector and other stakeholders to build a stronger and more resilient health system.