Ali Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, announced over the weekend that the Federal Government would hire 28,000 health workers who were previously getting their pay from USAID, the United States Agency for International Development.
Despite the shift in US government policy, Pate stated in an interview on Channels Television that the government was prepared to assume control of the nation’s healthcare system.
A recent executive order on foreign aid issued by US President Donald Trump halted funding for HIV treatment in developing nations.
Over 70% of Nigeria’s medications and over 99 percent of its medical devices are imported, according to the health minister, who also stated that the country has not made significant investments in the healthcare sector and that President Bola Tinubu’s administration was prepared to change the narrative.
According to Pate, 30% of Nigeria’s health spending comes from the government and 70% comes from private citizens.
Pete called on the federal and state governments to lessen reliance on foreign sources and address the gaps left by the US aid embargo.
“Quality healthcare is not cheap. We, as a country, have not invested in it yet and we are asking for the highest quality healthcare.
“Domestically, we have not invested. We have, since things changed in the last 18 months, with the deliberate efforts to improve investments and allocate investments to where it matters, the foundation.
“Can you believe that more than 70 per cent of our drugs, we import them with foreign exchange that we don’t really have. We are a capable country, and we are determined to own up to that responsibility.
“If others step in and support us, we appreciate it, but we are not begging.
“There are health workers, 28,000 of them who are being paid through US government support. While it has been appreciated, these health workers are Nigerian, we have to transit them.
“Our approach, long before the change in US policy, has been to increase national ownership.