Health Minister Pate reports progress in maternal care, health insurance and local drug manufacturing, but acknowledges worsening stunting and declining patient satisfaction
The Federal Government has announced that it has achieved all 41 performance targets set for the health sector under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, with 3,526 primary healthcare centres revitalised across the country.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Pate, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja during the third Nigeria Health Sector Joint Annual Review.
Pate said work was ongoing on another 900 primary healthcare centres, while 19,758 skilled birth attendants had been recruited across 22 states.
He added that the government had trained 78,054 frontline health workers and increased health insurance coverage from approximately 16 million to nearly 24 million Nigerians.
“At the beginning of this administration, Mr President set performance commitments for the health sector. I am pleased to report that we have achieved all 41 commitments,” the minister said.
Pate disclosed that cumulative releases under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund had reached ₦422.3bn as of October 2026, with ₦249.5bn disbursed under the current administration.
On maternal healthcare, he said skilled deliveries at supported facilities increased from 4.8 million in 2023 to 7.9 million by the second quarter of 2026, while antenatal visits rose from six million to 8.7 million.
He further revealed that the free emergency obstetric care programme had provided nearly 100,000 services in two years, including 80,906 caesarean sections and 6,059 vesicovaginal fistula repairs.
According to him, maternal case fatality in areas covered by the Maternal and Newborn Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative declined by approximately 60 per cent between 2024 and 2026.
On healthcare financing, the minister said the government had reduced dialysis costs by up to 80 per cent for 5,106 patients, while more than 15,000 Nigerians had benefited from its free 48-hour emergency care programme.
He also disclosed that 10 pharmaceutical and medical manufacturing factories or production lines had been commissioned to boost local production, with six of them commissioned in 2026.
However, Pate acknowledged that stunting had worsened slightly, while patient satisfaction with healthcare services declined from 76 per cent in 2024 to 71 per cent in 2026.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, said almost eight million additional Nigerians had been enrolled in health insurance under the administration, including more than three million vulnerable persons.
Salako said the government was targeting at least 90 per cent functional primary healthcare centres by 2031, 40 per cent health insurance coverage and the expansion of the maternal and newborn mortality reduction initiative to all 774 local government areas.
He said the annual review, themed “Together to Higher Grounds,” was expected to ensure that data generated across the health sector translated into measurable improvements in the lives of Nigerians.
Earlier, the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Daju Kachollum, disclosed that all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory had conducted their respective annual health sector reviews.
She, however, expressed concern over persistent shortages of health workers, poor maternal and child health indicators and weaknesses in emergency response.
Kachollum revealed that only 22 per cent of public health events achieved the seven-day early response target.
The three-day review, holding from November 10 to 12, is part of the implementation of the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, launched in December 2023 to strengthen healthcare delivery, financing, accountability and access to quality services across the country.