The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, says ongoing reforms are restoring confidence in Nigeria’s health system while addressing the longstanding grievances of health workers.

Mr Pate stated this on Sunday in a broadcast posted on his verified X handle, @muhammadpate, where he reflected on decades of challenges faced by health professionals.

The broadcast also reflected the progress recorded in the last two and a half years of his administration as a minister.

He acknowledged that for years, health workers served Nigerians under difficult conditions with limited recognition, noting that successive governments failed to provide an enabling environment for the sector’s best talents to thrive.

“Under the compassionate leadership of President Bola Tinubu, we acknowledge that successive governments did not always provide the enabling environment for our best talents to thrive,” he said.

Mr Pate said poor implementation of commitments in the past led to widespread dissatisfaction among health workers.

The minister particularly mentioned dissatisfied members, such as the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU), and the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM).

According to him, this informed the administration’s deliberate focus on cultivating industrial harmony through constructive engagement with stakeholders and direct attention to both legacy and current challenges.

“In spite of recent disruptions by a small segment of health workers, the overwhelming majority of Nigeria’s capable health workforce have continued to report for duty, serving our people with dedication, care, and innovation,” Mr Pate said.

The minister said that while not all inherited challenges had been fully resolved, unprecedented progress had been achieved under Mr Tinubu’s leadership through transparent negotiations with health sector unions.

He disclosed that the retirement age for clinically skilled health workers had been increased from 60 to 65 years, outstanding arrears from 2023 to date have been paid, and a new hazard allowance is currently being processed.

Mr Pate added that over N10 billion owed under the 2025 Medical Residency Training Fund had been fully settled.

He also said that salary relativity adjustments under the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) and the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) were being assured and institutionalised.

He explained that other longstanding demands of the three major health sector unions were being addressed through Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations convened by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

According to him, the process involves union leadership and relevant government officials and is progressing toward a conclusion acceptable to health workers and the citizens they serve.

He said data showed growing public confidence in the health system despite what he described as “minor industrial distractions by a very small minority,” with over 90 per cent of union demands already met.

The minister revealed that Nigeria recorded an average of 10 million hospital visits across all levels of care in the second quarter of 2024, rising to nearly 40 million visits by the second quarter of 2025.

“This represents almost a fourfold increase in a single quarter,” he said.

Mr Pate also cited figures from the Central Bank of Nigeria showing a 52 per cent reduction in foreign exchange accessed for external medical tourism since the inception of the administration in 2023.

He added that health facilities across the country were witnessing increased patronage by foreigners seeking medical care in Nigeria, signalling a gradual reversal of medical tourism.

The minister said citizen perception surveys conducted between 2023 and 2025 showed rising confidence in the health system.

“This is with overall system confidence put at 55 per cent, confidence in the government’s ability to manage health emergencies at 67 per cent, and patient satisfaction at 74 per cent,” he stated.

Mr Pate added that the progress recorded in the health sector demonstrated Nigeria’s capacity to turn crisis into opportunity, transform liabilities into assets and place citizens at the centre of national renewal. 

(NAN)