The Federal Government has defended its ongoing health sector reforms amid growing public concerns over the state of healthcare delivery in the country, saying it has recruited more than 37,000 health workers across federal health institutions since 2023 and trained over 70,000 frontline workers to strengthen service delivery.
The government said the reforms were specifically designed to address persistent challenges in the sector, including health workforce shortages, weak infrastructure, inadequate healthcare financing, migration of skilled professionals and limited access to quality care.
In a press statement issued on Thursday by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the government acknowledged the concerns being raised about the health sector, describing them as genuine, but insisted that they were also the basis for the ongoing reforms.
“Recent public commentary on Nigeria’s health sector has raised important concerns about health workforce shortages, infrastructure, healthcare financing, the migration of skilled professionals and access to quality care. These are real challenges. They are also the very reasons the Federal Government is implementing far-reaching reforms to strengthen Nigeria’s health system,” the ministry said.
As part of efforts to address the growing migration of Nigerian health professionals, the government said it had approved the National Policy on Health Workforce Migration to improve workforce planning, strengthen retention and promote ethical recruitment.
The ministry said the policy was being backed by the National Health Workforce Registry and sustained investments in specialist training and workforce development.
At the primary healthcare level, the government said the revised Basic Health Care Provision Fund was already expanding access to services and financial protection for millions of Nigerians.
According to the ministry, “Government has approved ₦32.9 billion under the revised framework, supporting more than 8,300 Primary Health Care Centres, with expansion underway to approximately 13,000 facilities nationwide.”
It added that the reforms had already contributed to over 80 million patient visits, while more than 21 million vulnerable Nigerians had accessed healthcare through the Vulnerable Groups Health Insurance Fund.
The ministry also said disease surveillance and outbreak preparedness were being strengthened through the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention Gateway under the BHCPF as part of a broader health security framework.
On the availability and affordability of medicines, the government said it was scaling up local pharmaceutical production through the Presidential Initiative to Unlock the Healthcare Value Chain.
“The objective is simple: strengthen local production, improve medicine security and make essential medicines more available and affordable for Nigerians,” the ministry stated.
The statement said the health reforms go beyond policy announcements and include investments in health infrastructure, maternal and newborn health, emergency preparedness, digital health systems and improved accountability across the sector.
Highlighting progress made so far, the ministry said, “As at the 2025 Joint Annual Review, 84 per cent of the key performance indicators under the Presidential Health Sector Renewal Compact had been achieved, reflecting measurable progress in implementing Nigeria’s health sector reform agenda.”
While admitting that the sector still faces serious difficulties, the government maintained that it had never pretended otherwise.
“Nigeria’s health sector still faces significant challenges, and Government has never suggested otherwise. Lasting reform, however, is measured not by rhetoric but by sustained action, transparent implementation and measurable results,” the ministry said.
It reaffirmed its commitment to working with healthcare professionals, civil society, development partners, the private sector and the wider public to build a more effective and resilient healthcare system.
“The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare remains committed to working with healthcare professionals, civil society, development partners, the private sector and all Nigerians to build a stronger, more equitable and more resilient health system.
“Our mandate remains clear: to save lives, reduce both physical and financial pain, and improve the health and wellbeing of all Nigerians,” the statement added.