FG Reaffirms Commitment To Specialist Medical Training, Health Workforce Retention

President Bola Tinubu has reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to strengthening specialist medical training, improving healthcare workers’ welfare and curbing the migration of Nigerian health professionals.

Tinubu also disclosed that the government had recruited more than 30,000 healthcare professionals into federal health facilities in the last two and a half years.

The President, represented by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, stated this on Monday at the golden jubilee celebration of the West African College of Physicians (WACP).

The event, which marked the college’s 50th anniversary, brought together medical practitioners, researchers and healthcare professionals from across West Africa and beyond to deliberate on medical education, research and strategies for strengthening healthcare delivery.

Tinubu said the government recognised the importance of a skilled and resilient health workforce to achieving sustainable healthcare delivery and advancing universal health coverage.

Tinubu described healthcare as a key pillar of the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda, stressing that access to quality healthcare should not be reserved for a privileged few.

He said Nigeria was leveraging digital innovation to improve healthcare management, patient records, disease surveillance and data-driven decision-making.

The President also called for stronger regional collaboration to address infectious disease outbreaks, including Ebola, noting that diseases respected no national boundaries.

He said Nigeria remained committed to strengthening surveillance systems, laboratory networks, emergency preparedness and cross-border collaboration to detect and contain outbreaks before they escalated.

“The vision of an Ebola-free West Africa and an Ebola-free Africa is achievable,” he said, adding that sustained political commitment, adequate investment and stronger institutions were required to realise the goal.

Earlier, the President of the WACP, Dr. Mamadou Mourtalla Ka, said the college had trained and certified thousands of specialist physicians who had contributed to clinical practice, medical education, scientific research and health leadership across West Africa.

Ka said the golden jubilee provided an opportunity to reflect on the college’s achievements since its establishment in 1976 and consider the responsibilities ahead.

He paid tribute to the college’s founding fathers, past presidents, senior fellows, teachers and mentors for building an institution committed to postgraduate medical education and professional excellence.

However, he noted that the region continued to face significant health challenges, including non-communicable diseases, infectious diseases, inequalities in access to quality healthcare and increasing pressure on health systems.

He called for stronger postgraduate medical education, relevant scientific research and greater collaboration among the college’s national chapters.

Meanwhile, the Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud Bunkure, announced a N200 million contribution by the Federal Capital Territory Administration to support the conference.

Bunkure said the WACP had provided an important platform for medical experts from Nigeria and other West African countries to exchange knowledge, share scientific innovations and develop solutions to shared health challenges.

She stressed the need for increased investment in medical education, specialist training, research and digital health technologies.