By Bukola Afeni
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, says Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) have become the fastest growing segment of Nigeria’s disease burden, warning that the nation’s health system must urgently prepare for the challenge.
Pate stated this in Abuja at the public presentation and launch of the book( “A Review of Non-Communicable Diseases in Nigeria) by the Health Sector Reform Coalition, HERFON.
The Minister noted that while infectious diseases, maternal and child health were the main health challenges in the past 30 to 40 years, NCDs such as hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, stroke, sickle cell disease, cancers and neurological disorders are now emerging rapidly.
“In the past thirty, forty years infectious diseases, maternal and child health were main issues. They are still with us, but NCDs, even though smaller, are becoming an increasingly faster growing segment of our burden of disease,” he said.
Pate attributed the rise to lifestyle changes and an ageing population, noting that parts of the country, particularly in the South-East, are already experiencing ageing-related diseases.
He said the Federal Government in the last three years has embarked on massive health sector renewal investment to make the system fit-for-purpose.
According to him, government has retrained almost 80,000 frontline health workers, doubled admission quotas for medical and nursing students, and expanded tertiary hospital infrastructure.
“We have made major strides. Three out of six world-class cancer centres have been commissioned already. Just two weeks ago, we commissioned two out of ten completed world-class diagnostic centres across Nigeria with MRI, CT scans and CATHLABs,” he disclosed.
The Minister also revealed that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) recently approved N268 billion for a major infrastructure project at the National Hospital, Abuja, which is more than ten times the hospital’s capital budget in the last two years.
On affordability, Pate said NCDs require lifelong treatment unlike infectious diseases, hence the push to expand health insurance.
He said over seven million Nigerians have been added to health insurance through the NHIA in the last three years.
He commended HERFON and the 70 authors and editors of the book for providing evidence-based recommendations, noting that government borrowed much of its understanding of NCDs from non-African populations and needs local evidence.
The Minister called on states to join the Federal Government in increasing health funding, noting that states now have improved fiscal space following major reforms in the last three years.
“States are getting a lot more resources now. The fiscal position is improved. We need to get states to also put resources so that we will get a health system that functions properly,” Pate added.
