The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved ₦12 billion for upgrading critical health infrastructure across teaching hospitals in six states.
Speaking after the FEC meeting, presided over by President Bola Tinubu, the coordinating minister of health and social welfare, Mr Ali Pate said the upgrades are intended at expanding healthcare access for more Nigerians.
The fund will be used to procure major diagnostic equipment, including three MRI machines and two CT scanners across key tertiary institutions.
The institutions include the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Akwa Ibom; Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta; Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun state; Federal Medical Center, Keffi, Nasarawa state; Modibbo Adamawa University Teaching Hospital, Yola; and Federal Teaching Hospital, Kebbi.
Upgrades to Enhance Patient Care and Medical Education
The minister said the funds would also support broader infrastructure upgrades to enhance both patient care and medical education in these institutions. He added that the improved facilities have already started attracting patients from foreign countries.
“Gradually, piece by piece, we are building our health infrastructure in the front end, but also at the higher level in the teaching hospitals,” he said. “And we know that important things are happening; people are now beginning to come to Nigeria and receive quality healthcare. This is already happening, including people from faraway places like the United Kingdom and the United States.“
“So despite what we may want to believe about Nigeria’s healthcare system, there are good things happening; the transformation that the president promised is beginning to happen. We need to sustain it, and we are investing, and we will continue to invest in that direction.“
Ratification of African Medicines Agency Treaty
The FEC meeting also saw the ratification of the African Medicines Agency (AMA) treaty in order to integrate Nigeria’s pharmaceutical sector into the African market.
The treaty, first adopted by the African Union (AU) in 2019, seeks to harmonize regulatory standards across the continent, ensuring access to safe and high-quality medicines.
Pate commended Tinubu’s leadership, describing the ratification as a “major milestone” in Nigeria’s path to medical self-sufficiency and industrialization.
“With this treaty, what we produce as part of our value chain expansion will have access to a much wider market,” Pate said. “This means what is made in Nigeria will, over time, be made in Africa.“
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