The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Tunji Alausa, has inaugurated seasoned healthcare professionals with varied experiences in various aspects of healthcare management to improve tertiary hospitals in the country.
Director, Information of the Ministry, Patricia Deworitshe announced the development in a statement issued on Wednesday, November 22, 2023
Deworitshe said that, with this inauguration, the federal government has reiterated its commitment towards improving the governance of health systems, which is the first pillar of the current administration’s focus.
She also said, The Minister of State noted that the members were chosen to reflect all the geopolitical zones in the country as enshrined in line with the National Health Act, of 2014.
Additionally, they were chosen to ensure compliance and a high level of standards in our Tertiary Hospitals in line with global best practices.
Members of the committee were the Chief Executives of the Tertiary Health Institutions represented by Dr. Adedamola Dada (Federal Medical Centre, Ebute-Metta) and Prof. Ahmed Ahidjo (University of Maiduguri)
The Registrars of the 14 regulatory bodies in the health sector were also statutory members, these include the National Postgraduate Medical College, Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, Pharmacist Council of Nigeria, Medical Rehabilitation Therapists Registration Board (MRTB), Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (MLSCN), Dental Therapists Registration Board, Optometrists, and Dispensing Opticians Registration Board.
Others were Community Health Practitioners Registration Board (CHPRBN), the Dental Technologist Registration Board of Nigeria (DTRBN), the Institute of Chartered Chemists of Nigeria, the Health Records Registration Board of Nigeria (RRBN), and the Institute of Public Analysts of Nigeria (IPAN).
The Secretary of the Committee is the Director and Head of the Department of Hospital Services, Dr. Salaudeen Jimoh. Representatives of the Federal Ministry of Education, Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, and the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation are also members.
The committee is to, among other things advise the Minister on matters affecting the establishment of Tertiary Hospitals in Nigeria, prepare periodic master plans for the balanced and coordinated development of tertiary hospitals in Nigeria.
They are also to make relevant investigations and recommendations to the federal and state governments on tertiary health care services, establish minimum standards to be attained by the various tertiary health facilities in the nation, and also to inspect and accredit such facilities, among others.
Others are to set standards and criteria for the allocation of funds from the federal government to tertiary health institutions, monitor their utilization, and source for grants as laid down by the committee.
They are also to collate, analyse, Monitor, and evaluate all activities, receive annual reports from the tertiary hospitals, and supervise annual peer reviews.
The Honourable Minister of State added that the committee may also get directives of a general nature not relating to the specifics given by the National Health Act about the exercise from time to time.
Alausa further informed the committee that the Department of Hospital Services of the Ministry had been charged to support the committee’s routine activities.
“It is expected that the Committee, once fully operational, would provide the opportunity to strengthen and provide guidance to the Subnational Health Institution Standard Committee, he stressed.
Earlier in her remarks, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Daju Kachollom, assured the committee of the Ministry’s unflinching support towards the provision of adequate funds and enabling environment to operate optimally to achieve the set goals of the committee.
She congratulated the Chairman of the Committee and his esteemed team on success in the discharge of their duties as the nation look forward to a positive shift in the status of the Tertiary Health services through the Committee’s contribution.
Chairman of the Committee
Professor Phillip Abiodun expressed the committee’s determination and readiness to help the government in some areas it was facing challenges such as medical tourism, leading to enormous loss of revenue to this country, the ‘Japa’ syndrome with a massive continuous loss of capable manpower in the health sector and the issue of perennial industrial unrest and the resultant poor health situation of the populace.
Furthermore, Abiodun urged the Ministry to support the Committee by providing all necessary resources needed by the Committee to discharge their duties effectively.
