As Nigerians brace up for a nationwide protest called by some groups, the Coordinating Minister for Health and Social Welfare, Professor Ali Pate has said that the Bola Tinubu administration deserves more support than recrimination from the populace.
This according to him is because of the systematic manner the government is cleaning up decades of rot in the Health sector through massive rehabilitation and equipping of Primary Health care centres and Teaching Hospitals across the country.
Professor Pate made this assertion while receiving a delegation of APC Professionals Forum led by the Chairman of its Board of Trustees (BOT) Dr Isa Yuguda at the weekend in his office in Abuja.
He said: "Since assuming office, President Bola Tinubu has been very deliberate in his bid to address decades' long challenges in many sectors of the economy and it would not be right to assume that things will change almost overnight.
"All what he has been doing is to fix the accumulation of our collective failure as Nigerians so anyone protesting is protesting against Nigeria not President Tinubu.
"For instance, in the health sector, there is an ongoing rehabilitation and reequipping of all Primary Health care centres and Teaching Hospitals with the support of donor agencies.
"At the primary health care level, we have outlined a plan, through the National Primary Health Care Development Agency and in collaboration with the states to revive 8,300 primary health care centers across the nation to make them fully functional and to expand and upgrade them to 17,000 Primary Health Care Centers in the next 3-years"
Professor Pate also provided some insight into health infrastructure projects on Tinubu's watch in the last one year.
"In terms of hospital equipment and infrastructure, federal hospitals have successfully executed 201 specific infrastructure projects in the last 1 year. Additionally, 179 specific pieces of important medical equipment were procured by the Federal Government and distributed across the six geopolitical zones.
"We are witnessing a substantial upgrade in healthcare infrastructure, a testament to the President’s leadership. Plans are also underway for the groundbreaking ceremony for 10 healthcare infrastructure projects including diagnostic centers and oncology centres across the six geopolitical zones, through the NSIA.
"These developments are part of a broader initiative involving public-private partnerships. We are also moving forward with a major PPP initiative to expand infrastructure as well as equip 6 teaching hospitals.
"Additionally, we have set up a committee on standards for tertiary healthcare, which has been absent for eight years. This committee is tasked with defining the standards for tertiary facilities in line with the National Health Act. The details of these standards are now accessible online.
"The President’s effective promotion of Nigeria as a business-friendly environment has already attracted several international investors and foreign direct investments in the sector. Notably, a Brazilian entity has committed US$240 million to establish a generic manufacturing plant in Nigeria,"he added.
Responding, Dr Yuguda who is also the Chairman of the Governing Council of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) said he was impressed with the ongoing transformation in the health sector.
He added that it was a big credit to President Tinubu that he succeeded in convincing Professor Pate to pick Nigeria over the international appointment he had just secured as head of the global vaccine alliance, GAVI.
