By James Ezema
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration has announced significant progress in ongoing healthcare reforms, revealing that more than 2.1 million pregnant women across Nigeria are currently benefiting from antenatal care services under the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII).
The disclosure was made by the National Coordinator of the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp), Mr. Muntaqa Umar-Sadiq, during a media briefing in Abuja on Thursday, focusing on health sector reforms, the Universal Health Coverage Compact, and the preparedness of Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (CEmONC) facilities nationwide.
According to Umar-Sadiq, the reforms are beginning to produce measurable improvements in healthcare delivery, particularly in areas linked to maternal and newborn survival. He explained that the programme was designed to tackle deep-rooted problems that have weakened Nigeria’s health system for years, including poor coordination, inadequate infrastructure, weak accountability structures, shortage of personnel, and gaps in healthcare data management.
He stressed that the administration’s approach goes beyond simply increasing financial allocations to the sector, insisting that efficient governance and accountability remain critical to achieving sustainable healthcare outcomes.
“The reforms are focused on how the system is organised for effective service delivery. Accountability and governance are essential if we must address the longstanding challenges confronting the health sector,” he said.
As part of efforts to strengthen maternal and newborn emergency response services, Umar-Sadiq disclosed that the Federal Government and state governments jointly assessed all 774 CEmONC facilities across the country and identified major infrastructure and equipment deficiencies.
He said 251 secondary healthcare facilities have been selected to receive upgraded medical equipment to improve emergency obstetric and neonatal services. The equipment, he explained, would support labour wards, operating theatres, pharmacies, laboratories, and neonatal care units in handling complicated pregnancies and childbirth emergencies.
The SWAp coordinator also highlighted interventions aimed at removing financial barriers preventing women from accessing maternal healthcare. Through collaboration with the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), the government has introduced support mechanisms covering Caesarean sections and treatment for obstetric complications.
He disclosed that 259 health facilities have already been enrolled into the programme, while more than 42,000 maternal and neonatal healthcare services have been reimbursed nationwide.
According to him, over 4,000 women and newborns have already benefited from free Caesarean section procedures under the intervention initiative.
In addition, Umar-Sadiq said the government had revitalised more than 3,000 primary healthcare centres across the country and deployed over 3,000 community healthcare workers to underserved communities to improve access to basic health services.
He noted that current interventions are concentrating on 172 local government areas identified as accounting for nearly 55 per cent of maternal deaths nationwide. The strategy, he said, allows states to develop responses suited to their peculiar healthcare challenges.
“We are ensuring that states drive solutions that respond directly to realities within their environments,” he stated.
On the sustainability of the reforms, Umar-Sadiq explained that the programme operates on a performance-based financing model, where states first invest their own resources in healthcare improvements before receiving reimbursement based on measurable results.
He said the arrangement was intended to encourage stronger ownership, transparency, and accountability among state governments.
The official further revealed that all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory had signed a new health compact outlining clear responsibilities, performance benchmarks, and monitoring mechanisms between federal and state authorities.
“For the first time, there is now a unified accountability structure defining what is expected from every level of government,” he said.
He added that quarterly performance assessments are being conducted to monitor progress in critical areas such as maternal mortality reduction, healthcare workforce expansion, and health facility revitalisation.
Umar-Sadiq maintained that early indicators from the intervention areas already show improvements in healthcare utilisation, rising patronage of skilled birth attendants, and declining rates of maternal deaths recorded within health facilities.
He, however, acknowledged ongoing concerns over the migration of healthcare professionals abroad, noting that efforts are underway to strengthen local workforce training and recruitment to address shortages in the sector.