Health
Nigeria must be intentional in health system approaches- Pate
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, has emphasised the need for Nigeria to be more intentional in its health system approaches to tackle health challenges.
He made the statement at the Society for Family Health’s (SFH) 40th-anniversary celebration and book presentation in Abuja on Tuesday.
Pate, represented by Mr Chinedu Moghalu, highlighted the importance of proactive and strategic actions to ensure the health of all Nigerians.
He noted that global health challenges, such as pandemics and healthcare inequities, required more intentional approaches.
“This is not the time for reactive measures; instead, we must take proactive, strategic action to ensure the health and wellbeing of all Nigerians.
“Intentionality serves as both a reflection on our past achievements and a roadmap for future progress.
“Over the past 40 years, we have learned valuable lessons that will guide our efforts to address the health challenges of today and tomorrow.
“As we strive to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC), reduce maternal mortality, and build stronger health systems, the Society for Family Health (SFH) will remain a vital partner in Nigeria’s health transformation.”
He emphasised the importance of local ownership and community-driven health interventions.
He added that the partnerships have enabled SFH to achieve remarkable progress in areas such as HIV prevention, malaria control, and reproductive health.
“What makes SFH’s partnership model unique is its focus on local ownership.
“SFH has partnered not only with international organisations but also with state and local governments, ensuring that health interventions are rooted in local contexts and driven by the communities they serve.
“This approach has been critical in ensuring that healthcare solutions are effective and sustainable in the long term.”
He commended the organisation’s ability to operate in Nigeria’s most challenging regions, providing healthcare in conflict-affected areas in the Northeast and building health resilience in the Northwest.
Looking ahead, Pate emphasised the importance of partnerships in implementing the National Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII).
SFH’s Managing Director, Dr Omokhudu Idogho, reflected on the organisation’s 40-year journey, highlighting its commitment to partnership, strong guidance, and leadership.
He noted that SFH had been renewing itself internally to respond to emerging challenges.
“We achieved this by acquiring the necessary talent, revising and developing internal systems that are more resilient and responsive to emerging challenges, and building new capabilities.
“We began by focusing on family planning, and as HIV emerged, we developed new capabilities to address it.
“When maternal mortality became a pressing issue, we again adapted and built new capabilities to address this challenge.”
Idogho shared SFH’s vision to continue innovating in areas such as supply chain, human resources for health, data systems, and health financing.
He added that capability was also being built on a public-private model for service delivery.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Society for Family Health (SFH) is a pan-African non-governmental organization founded in 1983 by Prof. Olikoye Ransome-Kuti, Malam Dahiru Wali, and Justice Ifeyinwa Nzeako.
(NAN)
Health
Stakeholders Applaud A360 Impact On Adolescent Health
Stakeholders in Nigeria’s health and development sector say the institutionalisation and scale-up of the Adolescent 360 (A360) Amplify project have greatly improved adolescent sexual and reproductive health outcomes in participating states.
They made this known at a dissemination meeting on the project on Thursday in Abuja.
It was implemented by the Society for Family Health (SFH) and partners, and later adopted into government systems following documented successes.
Launched in 2020, the A360 project was designed to provide adolescent girls with access to sexual and reproductive health information, youth-friendly services and economic empowerment opportunities.
The programme was implemented in Kano, Jigawa, Kaduna and Nasarawa States using a human-centred design approach that engaged governments, communities and young people to improve uptake of family planning and maternal health services.
Dr Aisha Sadiq, Permanent Secretary, Kaduna State Ministry of Health, said institutionalising A360 had delivered measurable improvements in adolescent health indicators and community wellbeing.
She said Kaduna currently provides A360 youth-friendly services in 623 Primary Health Care (PHC) centres.
The Matasan Mata Arewa (MMA) initiative, she added, had reached 75 communities and empowered more than 15,000 girls with entrepreneurship skills and seed capital.
According to her, more than 60,000 girls have accessed contraceptives through the programme, with a reduction in discontinuation rates as more young women sustain use and transition to maternal and child health services.
“These changes have shown a marked reduction in maternal mortality among those communities. It has also reduced negative neonatal outcomes,” she said.
Sadiq recounted an elderly woman’s remarks from a programme community, calling them a strong reflection of the project’s success.
“These girls have spent their whole lives believing they will remain tolerable liabilities to the husbands they marry, but now they are realising the value of becoming appreciated assets,” she quoted.
Sadiq added that Kaduna’s 16 per cent health budget allocation and the integration of A360 activities into the state’s 2025 Annual Operational Plan demonstrated sustained political commitment.
Also speaking, Dr Omokhudu Idogho, Managing Director, SFH, said the four implementing states had successfully embedded A360 approaches into government systems, community structures and routine health practices.
He was represented by Dr Kenechukwu Erichalo, Deputy Managing Director, Project Delivery.
Idogho said the project had reached more than one million adolescent girls with family planning services and engaged over 500,000 others with comprehensive sexuality education messaging.
“We recorded more than 50,000 antenatal care visits, ensuring that girls received skilled care that saved lives, and supported over half a million girls to learn income-generating skills,” he said.
He said A360 pioneered the MMA and Niger Girls models, demonstrating that culturally sensitive, human-centred programmes can succeed even in conservative communities.
“Our most significant achievement is institutionalisation. Today, all 1,750 A360-supported facilities are fully government-led,” he added.
Mrs Roselyn Odeh, A360 Project Lead, said the initiative was developed in response to poor adolescent health indices in the country.
She said the programme ensured respectful, youth-friendly services at PHCs and supported school reintegration and entrepreneurship for girls.
She said the decision to scale the programme in northern states was based on data.
“When you look at maternal mortality among young people, you know the section of the country it is coming from. Data drove our decisions in alignment with government priorities,” she said.
Odeh identified challenges including weak PHC infrastructure, funding gaps, commodity shortages and the need to engage husbands in conservative communities.
“But creatively, we worked with governments to mobilise domestic funding through health revolving funds and the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund,” she said.
Mr Sagir Musa, Commissioner for Youth, Jigawa State, assured of continued commitment from implementing states to sustain and expand the project’s gains.
“This project may be nearing closure, but for us, it has just begun. We have gone beyond its life cycle to embed its approaches in the things we do,” he said.
The dissemination meeting brought together policymakers, community leaders, development partners and beneficiaries to review lessons learned and outline future priorities for scaling adolescent health interventions nationwide.
(NAN)
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