The federal government has revealed that it has revitalized 3,526 primary healthcare centres, declaring ongoing work on another 900 facilities, while more than 8,000 BHCPF-supported facilities continued to benefit from the initiative.
This comes as the government stated that it has achieved all 41 presidential commitments set for the health sector, recording significant progress in healthcare delivery, financing, infrastructure, local manufacturing and national health security under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, disclosed this on Tuesday while delivering a keynote address at the Third Nigeria Health Sector Joint Annual Review (JAR), held at the Transcorp Event Centre, Abuja.
The review, themed, “Together to Higher Grounds,” assessed progress in the implementation of the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative and the Health Sector Strategic Blueprint.
Pate attributed the achievements to the commitment of the Tinubu administration, noting that the reforms, implemented through the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp), had strengthened governance, accountability and coordination across the three tiers of government.
He said the framework of One Plan, One Budget, One Report, One Conversation and One Voice had enhanced collaboration among federal and state governments, local governments and development partners.
On healthcare financing, the minister disclosed that cumulative releases under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) had reached approximately N422.3bn as of October 2026.
On maternal and newborn health, Pate said 19,758 skilled birth attendants had been recruited across 22 states, while 4,747 community health workers had been engaged in 10 states and 78,054 frontline health workers trained.
He explained that the Maternal and Newborn Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative (MAMII) had increased the proportion of participating BHCPF facilities with at least two midwives or community health extension workers from 12 per cent to 91 per cent.
According to him, about 750,000 pregnant women have been mapped to functional health facilities, while emergency transport services have conveyed 104,566 women and newborns.
The minister further disclosed that skilled deliveries in BHCPF facilities increased from 4.8 million in 2023 to 7.9 million by the end of the second quarter of 2026.
He said fourth antenatal care visits also rose from six million to 8.7 million, while outpatient attendance increased to 43 million.
Pate added that more than 17 million adolescent girls had received the Human Papillomavirus vaccine, while measles and rubella vaccination had reached 100 million children.
On financial protection, he said health insurance coverage had increased from approximately 16 million to nearly 24 million Nigerians within three years.
He noted that 5,106 patients had benefited from up to 80 per cent reduction in dialysis costs, while 710 cancer patients received an 80 per cent subsidy on selected cancer medicines.
The minister also revealed that the Federal Government’s free 48-hour emergency care programme had benefited more than 15,000 Nigerians across 507 empanelled health facilities.
On local pharmaceutical and medical manufacturing, Pate said 10 factories or manufacturing lines had been commissioned, including six in 2026, covering pharmaceuticals, rapid diagnostic tests, insecticide-treated nets and medical oxygen.
He added that the Presidential Executive Order on healthcare manufacturing had facilitated N24bn in tax waivers for pharmaceutical manufacturers, alongside 12 technology-transfer agreements and a prospective investment pipeline exceeding $5bn.
Addressing national health security, the minister cited Nigeria’s successful management of an imported Ebola case as evidence of improved preparedness, surveillance and emergency response.
He commended the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, port health teams and development partners for their contributions to containing the threat.
Pate further disclosed that the 2026 review recorded improvements in 12 of the 13 health indicators assessed, although he acknowledged persistent challenges relating to stunting, healthcare affordability, quality of care and patient satisfaction.
Additionally, he identified increased domestic health financing, equitable distribution of health workers, modernisation of federal tertiary hospitals, expanded health insurance coverage and accelerated digital transformation as major priorities.
He urged stakeholders to sustain collaboration, address implementation gaps and strengthen accountability, stressing that the ultimate measure of the reforms must be improved health outcomes and a better quality of life for Nigerians.
The minister expressed appreciation to President Tinubu for his leadership and commended healthcare workers and development partners for their contributions to the transformation of the sector.
In his remarks, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, said the Tinubu administration had recorded substantial progress across the eight health priority areas of the Renewed Hope Agenda.
He disclosed that key performance indicators across governance, health security, local production, health financing, primary and secondary healthcare, health workforce, mental health, equity, quality and preventive care scored between 60 and 92 per cent.
Salako said the 2026 Joint Annual Review would assess progress in reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health, food and drug regulation, emergency medical transport, free maternal and newborn services, MAMII, nutrition, non-communicable diseases, local manufacturing and health security.
He added that the review would feature the launch of key policy documents and reports, including the Mini-Demographic and Health Survey, the National Sexual and Reproductive Health Policy 2026–2030 and the Task-Shifting and Task-Sharing Guidelines.
Identifying 2027 as a critical year for consolidating the ongoing reforms and preparing for the next phase of the national health transformation agenda, Salako urged stakeholders to ensure that the review produced clear and actionable resolutions.
He said such resolutions should have assigned responsibilities and timelines to facilitate their integration into the 2027 annual operational plans.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Daju Kachollom described the Joint Annual Review as a critical accountability and performance assessment platform for evaluating progress, identifying implementation gaps and setting priorities for accelerating the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative.
She said the ministry had strengthened stakeholder participation in the Health Sector Renewal Compact through the inclusion of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, private-sector actors, traditional rulers and faith-based institutions.
According to her, Joint Annual Reviews have been conducted across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, reinforcing the principles of One Plan, One Budget, One Report and One Conversation.
Kachollom urged stakeholders to translate policy commitments and investments into measurable improvements in healthcare delivery, emphasising the need for stronger institutional capacity, efficient resource utilisation, effective monitoring mechanisms and mutual accountability at national and subnational levels.
She reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to building a resilient, equitable and responsive health system capable of delivering quality, accessible and affordable healthcare to Nigerians.
The Permanent Secretary called for renewed collaboration among stakeholders towards achieving Universal Health Coverage and improved health outcomes across the country.
