Ministerial Briefing: Enrolment into medical schools doubled to 64,000 — Ali Pate

• The minister noted that at least 1,400 centres can now provide skilled birth attendants.
• He also highlighted that the Federal Government has disbursed the first tranche of N25bn of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund through the National Primary Health Care Development Agency and the National Health Insurance Authority.

Muhammad Ali Pate, coordinating minister of health and social welfare, says the enrolment quota in medical, nursing, and other health professional schools has increased.

Pate spoke on Friday at the ministerial press briefing to mark the one-year anniversary of President Bola Tinubu administration in Abuja

He said the enrollment quota was doubled from 28,000 to 64,000 annually in a bid to address the impact of the exit of Nigerian health workers.

“That is just the first step, the education sector will have to play its role. The states will have to play in to improve the infrastructure, the training, and the tools to produce more healthcare workforce because we need to produce more healthcare workforce given that we’re losing some so that we can serve the population of this country,” Pate said.

Speaking on the primary health care centres, the health minister said that at least 1,400 centres can now provide skilled birth attendants.

Pate noted that more than 2,400 health workers – doctors, nurses, and midwives are been recruited in facilities to provide essential health services to Nigerians in rural areas.

He said that the federal government has disbursed the first tranche of N25bn of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund through the National Primary Health Care Development Agency and the National Health Insurance Authority.

“We put a condition that states that will access those have to comply with the fiduciary guidelines that have been provided, responding to lapses that have been observed over here so that the resources go to Nigerians.

“Twenty-three states have received those funds, and I believe that the rest of the states are just about to complete and receive their financing to channel through the PHCs.”

The health minister added that the government is committed to training more health workers to build their capacity.