By : Nkechi Onyedika-Ugoeze, Sodiq Omolaoye (Abuja) and Obinna Nwaoku (Port Harcourt)
* FG, EU, ECOWAS Sign Pact To Stimulate Investments In Health Sector
* UPTH's N10b Endowment Fund Will Revolutionise Healthcare Delivery - Minister
The Federal Government's recent directive mandating all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), as well as private employers of labour, to enroll their workers in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) has continued to receive commendations from industry stakeholders.
This was even as the Federal Government, the European Union (EU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have signed pacts to boost local manufacturing and stimulate investments across the pharmaceutical ecosystem in the country.
Similarly, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, on Friday, hailed the establishment of a N10 billion Endowment Fund by the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), describing it as a pivotal move to enhance healthcare delivery and manpower development in Nigeria.
Speaking in Abuja, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Ultimate Health Management Services, Lekan Ewenla, described the mandate to the MDAs as a bold and long-overdue step towards achieving universal health coverage and strengthening Nigeria's health system.
Ewenla applauded the President Bola Tinubu administration for increasing the public sector health insurance premium, which has translated into higher capitation and fee-for-service payments for healthcare providers.
He said the move would improve service delivery and promote sustainability in the sector. According to him, the new policy would help the government build a unified database for health insurance enrollees, while ensuring that all Nigerian workers have access to affordable and quality healthcare.
Recall that a recent circular issued by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) mandated all MDAs to ensure immediate compliance with the new health insurance policy.
The circular stated that the order followed President Tinubu's approval of measures to strengthen the National Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII) launched in December 2023.
Ewenla said the integration of the National Health Insurance Scheme with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) database is a major milestone that will enhance planning, service delivery, and accountability in the health sector.
He said: "The idea behind this mandatory health insurance programme is to ensure that everyone is registered with their proper identity, since the database is now synchronised with NIMC. Many Nigerians and private companies may not be aware of this, but it is important that we all begin to comply with the law so that we can be seen as developing accordingly."
Speaking at the Nigeria-EU Health Investment Forum in Abuja on Friday, hosted by the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC), and the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), Vice President Kashim Shettima expressed the government's commitment to create an enabling environment for investors and innovators through predictable regulations, strong institutions, and public-private collaborations.
The pacts, signed between the Federal Government, EU and ECOWAS, are part of the EU Global Gateway Manufacturing and Access to Vaccines, Medicines, and Health Technologies (MAV+) initiative and SRHR flagships, which will support a new generation of local producers and innovators to build a stronger and more resilient health ecosystem across Nigeria and West Africa.
The three agreements include Enabling Local Manufacturing of Health, Immunisation and Nutrition Commodities in Nigeria (ELM-N); Quality Uplift for Advancing Local Industry in Medicine Standards (Qualimeds Nigeria); and Strengthening Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) in West Africa.
Shettima observed that the signing of the agreements reaffirmed the Federal Government's resolve to build a sustainable, inclusive, and innovation-driven health economy adding that Nigeria is open for health investment, innovation, and impact.
He said: "Our message is clear: Nigeria is open for health investment, innovation, and impact. The President has declared that Nigeria's health transformation will not be driven by aid and dependency alone, but by government to drive ownership, accountability and innovation: Made in Nigeria, for Nigerians, and by Nigerians."
He stated that President Tinubu's Executive Order on local production of pharmaceuticals and medical devices has marked a turning point in Nigeria, adding that through the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC), and complementary frameworks such as the sector-wide approach (SWAp), the administration has taken concrete steps to strengthen health governance, stimulate investment and promote local manufacturing."
In his remarks, the EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, noted that the EU has been a long-standing partner of Nigeria and ECOWAS in health, supporting health in all its dimensions; from access to health services and large-scale immunisation, to polio eradication, medical research, and family planning; through in-country programmes and contributions to multilateral pharmacies.
He said: "We also have upcoming initiatives on digital health and public health systems. But more than anything, we want to support the paradigm shift taking place in Nigeria and West Africa, moving from aid to peer-to-peer collaboration, from standalone projects, however important, to a dynamic investment strategy. And this is what our Global Gateway Investment Strategy is about."
In his address, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Abubakar Bagudu, said the forum came at a moment when Nigeria was strengthening partnerships, reforming systems, and expanding investments to make healthcare accessible and affordable to every Nigerian.
"We are talking about mutual prosperity, mutual gain, which is supported both by the nature of the industry and in part by the demographic divide. And I believe both the EU and Nigeria, even in spite of the existence of other competing blocs, can win together because the absorptive capacity of the Nigerian economy is quite enormous."
On his part, Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammadu Ali Pate, said that Nigeria is committed to ensuring that made-in-Nigeria health products serve not only its people but also the entire West African region and the world at large.
Pate, who was represented by the Director of Food and Drug Services, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Olubunmi Aribeana, explained that Nigeria's Renewed Hope Health Agenda is anchored on three pillars: Strengthening local production of health and pharmaceutical products; Expanding access for essential medicines and vaccines; and advancing sexual and reproductive health rights.
"As part of Universal Health Coverage, local production of health commodities is not merely an economic choice; it is a strategic health security priority by scaling up domestic manufacturing of medicines, diagnostics, vaccines, and other health technologies," he added.
At the 45th anniversary celebration of the UPTH, themed 'Repositioning for Excellent Healthcare Delivery, Medical Innovations And Manpower Development,' Pate said the theme of the anniversary resonates with the Federal Government's efforts to strengthen healthcare in Nigeria.
Represented by Dr. Abisola Adegoke, Director of Teaching Hospital, the minister commended UPTH for its commitment to improving healthcare delivery, noting that the ministry stands behind the bold initiative fully. He urged other institutions to adopt UPTH's approach, which integrates cutting-edge research and modern medical technologies to elevate patient care.
He said: "We at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare therefore stand fully behind this bold initiative. We view the Endowment Fund not only as a financial mechanism but also as a symbol of the institution's commitment to innovation, sustainability and leadership in healthcare. It is a model that other tertiary hospitals across Nigeria must emulate."
In his welcome address, UPTH's Chief Medical Director, Prof. Henry Ugboma, traced the hospital's evolution from a modest cottage facility to a full-fledged tertiary institution.
Ugboma said the hospital has increased its bed space to over 1000, adding that there are plans to increase the services of the hospital. Delivering the keynote address on behalf of Dr. Awele Elumelu, Co-founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, Prof. Osakpowa Imasoke described UPTH as a shining example of compassionate care.