FG to Equip 251 Hospitals as Health Sector Reforms Begin to Deliver Results

By: Michael Mike

The Federal Government has announced plans to distribute critical medical equipment to 251 secondary healthcare facilities across Nigeria as ongoing reforms in the health sector begin to show early gains in maternal and child healthcare outcomes.

The disclosure was made during a stakeholders’ and media engagement ahead of the formal launch of the equipment distribution programme under the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative and the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp) Coordination Office domiciled in the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in Abuja.

The National Coordinator of the programme, Muntaqa Umar-Sadiq, said the reforms were designed to address long-standing structural weaknesses in Nigeria’s healthcare system, including poor coordination, inadequate infrastructure, weak data management systems, shortage of health workers, and limited access to affordable healthcare.

He explained that the reform agenda aligns with the human capital development priorities of Bola Ahmed Tinubu and focuses on strengthening governance, accountability, and service delivery across all levels of healthcare.

According to him, the reform strategy recognises that improving health outcomes requires more than increased funding, stressing that stronger governance systems, coordinated resource management, and enforceable accountability mechanisms are essential to achieving sustainable progress.

“We speak a lot about one plan, one budget, one report, and one conversation. Governance is at the heart of how we can address these long-standing issues,” Umar-Sadiq said.

He noted that the interventions are targeting both the supply and demand sides of healthcare delivery through the recruitment of community healthcare workers, revitalisation of primary healthcare centres, upgrading of Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (CEmONC) facilities, and improved provision of equipment and medical commodities.

He added that efforts were also underway to improve healthcare affordability through the National Health Insurance Authority reimbursement scheme, particularly for caesarean sections and obstetric complications.

As part of the reforms, the Federal Government signed a compact with the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to establish a unified accountability framework for healthcare delivery.

Under the arrangement, federal, state, and local governments are assigned clear responsibilities, including quarterly performance reviews, mandatory data reporting, and incentive-based financing tied to independently verified results.

Describing the framework as an “ask-and-offer” arrangement, Umar-Sadiq said the Federal Government would provide funding and technical support, while states would commit to agreed reforms and investments before qualifying for reimbursements.

“For the first time, expectations are clearly documented. States know what they are expected to do, and the Federal Government also has obligations it must fulfil,” he stated.

He disclosed that the government had committed to upgrading at least one CEmONC facility in every local government area nationwide.

According to him, 774 secondary healthcare facilities offering comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care were assessed across the country to determine infrastructure and equipment gaps, with 251 facilities eventually selected for equipment support covering operating theatres, laboratories, neonatal units, pharmacies, and emergency obstetric care services.

He said the intervention would significantly improve hospitals’ capacity to manage maternal and neonatal emergencies while reducing preventable deaths.

The upgraded facilities, he added, would also support empanelment under the National Health Insurance Authority, enabling more Nigerians to access reimbursed maternal healthcare services.

The reform office further disclosed that over 3,000 primary healthcare centres had already been revitalised nationwide in collaboration with state governments and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency.

Of the revitalised facilities, 808 are located in 172 high-burden local government areas identified as accounting for about 55 per cent of maternal deaths in Nigeria.

Umar-Sadiq also revealed that more than 3,000 community healthcare workers had been recruited and deployed to underserved communities to improve access to frontline healthcare services.

He said emergency transportation systems and referral mechanisms were also being strengthened to ensure that women experiencing pregnancy-related complications could be transferred quickly from primary healthcare centres to equipped referral hospitals.

According to him, 259 healthcare facilities have already been empanelled under the NHIA reimbursement initiative, while more than 42,000 women and newborns have benefited from free caesarean sections and other reimbursed obstetric services.

He also highlighted ongoing efforts to improve access to essential medicines and medical commodities through a pooled procurement initiative known as Medipool, which is expected to reduce stock-outs, lower costs, improve quality assurance, and strengthen value-for-money procurement across the health sector.

Providing further updates on the programme’s impact, Umar-Sadiq said utilisation of healthcare services had increased significantly in targeted local government areas, with more than 2.1 million pregnant women accessing antenatal care services in priority communities.

He noted that skilled birth attendance and facility-based deliveries had also improved, while facility-based maternal mortality rates had declined in participating areas.

He described the development as evidence that the sector-wide reform strategy was beginning to produce measurable improvements in healthcare delivery and maternal health outcomes.

Umar-Sadiq stressed that data intelligence and evidence-based policymaking remained central to the reform programme, noting that authorities now routinely track indicators such as maternal mortality, healthcare worker deployment, facility revitalisation, commodity availability, and emergency response systems.

He added that lessons from previous interventions, including the Midwives Service Scheme, had informed the current implementation model.

Under the arrangement, states are expected to gradually absorb the salaries of newly recruited healthcare workers into their payroll systems over a three-year period to ensure sustainability beyond federal and donor funding support.

The coordinator disclosed that independent verification agents had been engaged to confirm states’ performance before reimbursements are released under the pay-for-results financing model.

He, however, acknowledged that some states were still facing challenges related to the signing of Memoranda of Understanding on healthcare worker recruitment and financing commitments.

According to him, issues involving fiscal planning, accommodation, and long-term workforce absorption remain under discussion with states such as Lagos State, Delta State, and Rivers State.

Umar-Sadiq said the government was also investing in training institutions and workforce expansion programmes to boost the production of midwives and other frontline health personnel.

He added that additional investments were being made in health technology schools and accommodation facilities to improve training capacity and welfare for healthcare workers across the country.

FG to Equip 251 Hospitals as Health Sector Reforms Begin to Deliver Results