President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has congratulated the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, on his birthday.
He praised his contributions to the transformation of Nigeria’s health sector through the Renwed Hope Agenda(RHA).
The President, in a statement yesterday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, described Pate as a distinguished and globally- acclaimed health professional whose leadership has advanced his administration’s health and social welfare agenda.
Tinubu particularly highlighted the revitalisation of more than 3,100 Primary Healthcare Centres across the country and the reorganisation of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF), which he noted has enabled more than 37 million Nigerians to access basic healthcare services.
He also cited the ongoing upgrade of health facilities nationwide as evidence of the transformation being recorded in the sector under the RHA.
According to the President, his administration’s investments in healthcare infrastructure and manpower include the establishment of three oncology centres across the geopolitical zones as part of efforts to reduce outbound medical tourism.
He added that more than 20,000 health professionals had also been recruited into federal tertiary hospitals to cushion the effects of brain drain, while over 78,000 frontline health workers have been trained to improve the quality of primary healthcare delivery.
Tinubu further pointed to the vaccination of more than 17.1 million adolescent girls against the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) to protect them from cervical cancer as another major intervention undertaken in the sector.
The President also commended Pate for efforts to attract investments into Nigeria’s healthcare value chain and pharmaceutical industry through the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC).
According to him, the initiative has so far secured a project pipeline worth more than $5 billion, reflecting growing investment interest in the country’s healthcare industry.
Tinubu said the interventions under Pate’s leadership were helping to strengthen healthcare delivery, expand access to essential services and build the manpower and infrastructure required for a more resilient health system.
‘As Pate celebrates this auspicious day, the President joins family, friends, and associates to wish him good health and renewed strength as he continues to serve the nation diligently’, he added.