The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening emergency and intensive care services across Nigeria through sustainable healthcare financing, expanded health insurance coverage, improved infrastructure, workforce development and stronger public-private collaboration.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Adekunle Salako, made this known on Wednesday while declaring open the 11th Annual Scientific Conference and Annual General Meeting of the Intensive and Critical Care Society of Nigeria in Abuja.
Speaking on the conference theme, “Sustainable Financing for Intensive Care in Public Hospitals in Nigeria,” Salako described sustainable financing as critical to improving Nigeria’s healthcare system and ensuring that critically ill patients receive quality, life-saving treatment without facing catastrophic financial hardship.
He said critical illnesses resulting from trauma, infectious diseases, maternal and neonatal complications, surgical emergencies, cardiovascular and neurological conditions, respiratory failure, non-communicable diseases and epidemics require efficient intensive care services, stressing that access to quality critical care often determines the difference between life and death.
The minister noted that the Federal Government considers emergency and critical care essential to building a resilient, equitable and responsive healthcare system capable of advancing universal health coverage, improving health outcomes and strengthening national health security.
Salako acknowledged that intensive care services remain capital-intensive, requiring investments in specialised infrastructure, modern equipment, medical oxygen systems, skilled healthcare professionals, uninterrupted utilities, diagnostic services, biomedical engineering support and effective quality assurance mechanisms.
He expressed concern over Nigerians’ heavy reliance on out-of-pocket healthcare spending, saying many families are pushed into financial hardship whenever they require intensive medical care.
The minister disclosed that the National Emergency Medical Service and Ambulance System (NEMSAS), one of the Federal Government’s flagship emergency healthcare initiatives, has expanded from its pilot phase in the Federal Capital Territory to 34 states, with efforts underway to achieve nationwide coverage.
According to him, the government is also implementing complementary interventions to strengthen maternal and newborn care, expand healthcare financing and improve service delivery, while integrating ambulance services, intensive care units, high dependency units, operating theatres, medical oxygen systems, rehabilitation services and health insurance schemes.
Salako called for stronger collaboration among the Federal Government, state governments, healthcare institutions, professional bodies, academic and research institutions, the private sector, development partners and civil society organisations to build a sustainable critical care system.
He also reiterated the government’s commitment to strengthening medical oxygen systems, recalling lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, and noted that Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) oxygen plants have been installed in several health facilities nationwide.
The minister further advocated stronger referral systems, regional critical care networks, digital health technologies, tele-critical care services and improved health information systems to reduce disparities in access to quality critical care.
Earlier, Chairman of the Local Organising Committee, Dr. Harrison Nwogu, said the conference would examine the causes of chronic underfunding of intensive care units and explore innovative financing options, including public-private partnerships, health insurance integration and diaspora investments.
Chairman of the occasion, Dr. Olalekan Olutesi, Managing Director of Zenith Medical and Kidney Centre, Abuja, argued that government alone cannot finance healthcare delivery, urging wealthy Nigerians to invest in the health sector while calling for tax incentives to encourage private investment.
Delivering the keynote address, Professor Daprim Samuel Tamuno-Ojuemi Ogaji stressed the need for a sustainable financing model that guarantees access to intensive care irrespective of patients’ financial status. He identified inadequate infrastructure, equipment, consumables and unreliable power supply as major obstacles to effective critical care delivery.
Also speaking, the Emir of Wase, Alhaji Dr. Muhammadu Sambo Haruna, who represented the Emir of Tula, commended the Intensive and Critical Care Society of Nigeria for organising the conference, describing intensive care as an issue that affect every Nigerian and is central to humanity, equity and national development.
