The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to ending unaffordable healthcare and expanding access to quality health services for all Nigerians, as federal and state authorities, alongside international development partners, renewed calls for stronger financing, accountability and collaboration to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
Speaking at the 2025 Universal Health Coverage Day celebration in Abuja, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, said the Tinubu administration is determined to ensure that no Nigerian is forced to choose between seeking medical care and meeting basic household needs. He described health as both a fundamental human right and a critical driver of national productivity, security and economic growth.
Professor Pate acknowledged that global progress towards UHC remained challenging but noted that Nigeria has embarked on far-reaching reforms through the Nigerian Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII), launched in December 2023. He explained that the initiative aligns federal, state and development partner efforts under a “one plan, one budget, one conversation” framework, reducing fragmentation and strengthening accountability across the health sector.
Speaking on behalf of state governments, Chairman of the Commissioners of Health Forum, Dr. Oyebanjo Filani, said Nigeria’s experience reflects a wider global reality, worsened by changes in donor financing. He noted that although donor support accounts for only about 8 to 12 per cent of Nigeria’s health financing, it funds critical interventions that were historically underfunded, making the transition particularly sensitive.
Dr. Filani said state governments have taken ownership of these challenges, commending the coordinating minister’s leadership in minimising funding gaps and ensuring that external support aligns with national priorities. He added that states remain committed to expanding access to quality care, listening to citizens’ feedback and making necessary adjustments to improve service delivery.
Representing the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Dr. Oluwatosin Kolade described Universal Health Coverage as a fundamental human right that promotes health, dignity and empowerment, particularly for women, children and vulnerable groups. He reaffirmed UNFPA’s commitment to ending unmet family planning needs, preventable maternal deaths, gender-based violence and harmful practices, while calling for stronger collaboration to ensure health services are available, accessible and affordable.
The World Health Organization (WHO) warned that unaffordable healthcare costs remain one of Africa’s most stubborn barriers to UHC. In a message from the WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Mohammed Janabi, delivered by the WHO Representative in Nigeria, Dr. Pavel Ursu, the organisation disclosed that in 2022 more than 423 million people in Africa suffered financial hardship due to health spending, with many pushed deeper into poverty.
Despite these challenges, WHO noted improvements in service coverage across maternal and child health, infectious diseases and non-communicable diseases between 2015 and 2022, but stressed that progress remains uneven, with women, children, older persons and rural communities bearing the heaviest burden.
Stakeholders at the event called for sustained political commitment, increased domestic health financing and stronger public accountability to keep Nigeria on course towards Universal Health Coverage and to break the cycle of illness driven by unaffordable healthcare.
The 2025 World Universal Health Coverage Day was commemorated under the theme: “Unaffordable Health Costs: We Are Sick of It.”
