$1.07bn Health Sector Boost: Experts Demand Accountability, Strategic Investment

ABUJA – Medical experts have described the Fed­eral Government’s approval of $1.07 billion for healthcare reforms as a timely intervention but warn that without proper execution and accountability, the impact could be minimal and short-lived.

Chief (Mrs.) Moji Makanjuo­la, a veteran health advocate, said the funding is a game-changer for Nigeria’s healthcare sector.

“This is an exciting moment for healthcare in Nigeria, es­pecially considering our poor health indices.

“The announcement of these relief funds is a welcome develop­ment, but my fear is that it must not be a one-time effort.

“We need continuity until we stabilize in terms of human resources, health financing for the vulnerable, and reduction in maternal and neonatal deaths,” she stated.

Recall that, in a historic move, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) recently approved $1.07 billion in financing to reform the country’s healthcare system un­der the Human Capital Opportu­nities for Prosperity and Equity (HOPE) programme.

This allocation includes two concessional loans of $500 mil­lion each from the International Development Association (IDA), a financing arm of the World Bank, alongside $70 million in grant funding from other inter­national bodies.

Additionally, N4.8 billion has been earmarked for HIV treat­ment, a critical intervention that underscores the government’s commitment to tackling public health crises.

Announcing the decision, Minister of Finance and Coordi­nating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, described the fund­ing as a bold step toward revital­izing Nigeria’s healthcare sector.

Similarly, Coordinating Min­ister of Health and Social Wel­fare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, emphasized that the investment will be used to strengthen gover­nance, improve primary health­care delivery, and support recruit­ment and training of healthcare workers nationwide.

Pate elaborated on the allo­cation, stating that the HOPE programme is designed to en­hance primary healthcare ser­vices across Nigeria; strengthen healthcare workforce recruit­ment, training, and retention; and expand emergency maternal and child health services.

“This financing will support recruitment, training, and re­tention of healthcare workers and teachers at the subnational level,” Prof. Pate said.

“Additionally, $500 million is dedicated to expanding the qual­ity, utilization, and resilience of the primary healthcare system, including emergency maternal and child health services.”

Also, the FEC approved ₦4.8 billion for the procurement of 150,000 HIV treatment packs over the next four months.

Prof. Pate emphasized that this aligns with the Federal Gov­ernment’s strategy to provide free and subsidized treatment for HIV patients, reducing out-of-pocket expenses for vulnerable Nigerians.

The government also ac­knowledged potential challeng­es arising from U.S. policy shifts affecting funding for Nigeria’s HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria programmes.

To mitigate this, a multi-min­isterial committee, including the Ministries of Finance, Health, Defense, and Environment, as well as the Governors’ Forum has been tasked with developing a transition and sustainability plan.

AN OPPORTUNITY NOT TO BE MISSED

Makanjuola identified several pressing areas where the funds should be directed, including human resource development in response to Nigeria’s severe brain drain of healthcare profes­sionals due to poor remuneration and working conditions.

She suggested the need to improve salaries, training, and retention programmes for health­care professionals.

According to her, a large part of the fund should go to improve­ment, development and expan­sion of medical facilities, noting that many hospitals lack modern facilities, making tertiary and emergency care inaccessible.

In addition, she warned against dependence on import­ed pharmaceuticals and medi­cal equipment, suggesting local production, which, she said, is vital to ensuring long-term sus­tainability in healthcare delivery.

While stressing the need for proper monitoring of the funds to ensure they are directed toward impactful projects, she said: “The funds must be tracked and seen to mitigate the critical gaps we have in our health sector.

“This should not just be about policies but about actual imple­mentation that works for Nigeri­ans at all levels, especially in state general hospitals.”

She also highlighted the importance of private sector collaboration and state-level participation, ensuring that the improvements reach every part of the country and are not limited to urban areas.

Makanjuola called for Nigeria to position itself as a medical hub for the Black race, urging that healthcare development must align with global best practices.

“We must ensure that this funding restores world-class stan­dards in the practice of medicine in Nigeria,” she said.

Equity, accountability, and strategic implementation, she added, must guide the process to ensure that all Nigerians re­gardless of class, age, or gender benefitted from the investment.

RIGHT STEP IN RIGHT DIREC­TION

In his own view, Dr. Ejike Oji, Chairman of the Association for the Advancement of Family Planning (AAFP), commended the government’s efforts but em­phasized targeted interventions to maximize impact, especially in light of the United States Agency for International Devel­opment (USAID) funding freeze affecting Nigeria’s healthcare programmes.

“The Federal Government’s decision to allocate these funds is commendable, particularly at a time when USAID’s global fund­ing freeze is affecting Nigeria’s healthcare support, including HIV programmes.

“While the U.S. has assured that HIV funding is exempt, the freeze remains under a 90-day re­view, and there is no guarantee it won’t be completely withdrawn,” Dr. Oji said.

Dr. Oji outlined Family Plan­ning and Reproductive Health as critical healthcare priorities, pointing out the need for timely disbursement of the $4 million annual savings and the addition­al $2 billion earmarked for the UNFPA to procure essential re­productive health commodities.

He said the Federal Govern­ment should sustain progress in childhood immunization and ensure vaccine funding continu­ity if USAID’s freeze affects con­tributions to Gavi, the vaccine alliance.

Dr. Orji said the Federal Gov­ernment should curb the exodus of over 4,000 Nigerian doctors and nurses to the UK in the last two years by improving salaries and working conditions.

Reviewing the capacity of the funding that has been made available vis a vis the present sit­uation, Dr. Orji argued that $1.07 billion is a drop in the ocean.

He said: “A billion dollars is a lot of money, but when you com­pare it to the country’s health de­mands, it’s still not enough.

“Nigeria’s 2024 health budget is about ₦2 trillion (approximate­ly $1.7 billion) far below the 15% benchmark set by the African Union in 2001 for national health­care funding.”

He further emphasized that health investments directly im­pact economic productivity, cit­ing malaria as an example.

“Malaria alone causes a sig­nificant loss in man-hours for Nigeria’s workforce.

“If we had a robust health­care system, we would reduce catastrophic health expendi­tures, improve productivity, and boost economic growth at both household and national levels,” he said.

He, therefore, called on the government to ensure strict accountability in deploying the funds, warning that misman­agement could worsen Nigeria’s fragile healthcare system.

According to him, “The health sector is in dire need of reform, and this funding must be used wisely.

“We need a government that healthcare workers and citi­zens can trust. If we fail to act decisively, we risk losing more professionals and deepening the health crisis.”

Other experts who spoke with SUNDAY INDEPENDENT cau­tioned that with Nigeria’s brain drain, inadequate healthcare funding, and systemic inefficien­cies, the $1.07 billion investment must not be another missed op­portunity to fix Nigeria’s health­care system.