The Federal Government and the Cross River State Government have reaffirmed their commitment to accelerating Nigeria’s progress toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC) as the 66th National Council on Health (NCH) opened on Thursday in Calabar.
Declaring the council meeting open, Cross River State Governor, Senator Bassey Edet Otu represented by Deputy Governor, Rt. Hon. Peter Odey said the gathering reflected the shared responsibility of federal and state governments to strengthen primary healthcare, expand financial protection, and ensure equitable access for all Nigerians.
He outlined ongoing reforms in the state, including the extension of maternity leave to six months, targeted rural palliatives, expansion of health insurance coverage, and the renovation of over 100 primary healthcare centres (PHCs) under the World Bank IMPACT project, the Basic Health Care Provision Fund and state funding.
In his keynote address, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, commended Cross River’s progress and noted that Nigeria is now witnessing measurable improvements in maternal mortality reduction, renewed public confidence in PHCs, and better national coordination.
He revealed that the Federal Government has secured ₦68 billion for vaccine financing and released ₦50 billion to clear arrears owed to health workers, urged states to increase their 2026 health budgets by at least one percent.
According to him, the funds are being ring-fenced to support PHC expansion and ensure frontline workers have essential equipment and commodities, including HIV, TB, and malaria test kits and bed nets.
Also speaking, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, highlighted improvements in health insurance coverage, which has risen from 3 percent in 2019 to 17 percent today representing 37.4 million Nigerians. He however stressed that the pace remains too slow to meet national targets.
He praised leading states such as Lagos, Kaduna, Enugu and Cross River, which has achieved 28 percent coverage through its UHC Coordination Centre. He added that over 10,800 PHCs have now been upgraded nationwide, with the national PHC quality score increasing from 42 to nearly 70 percent.
Salako further emphasized the role of development partners, citing support from the World Bank IMPACT and HOPE Health projects, U.S.-funded HIV/TB interventions, the Global Fund, WHO, UNICEF and GAVI in strengthening Nigeria’s health system and supporting the introduction of new vaccines.
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Daju Kachollom, commended the dedication of commissioners, technical experts and development partners throughout the NCH technical sessions, and praised states that excelled in implementing the 2023 NCH resolutions, including Sokoto, Jigawa, Zamfara, Taraba, Delta, FCT, Plateau and Ekiti.
The opening ceremony also featured the presentation of vehicles and medical equipment to the Cross River State Government by the World Health Organization (WHO).
