Nigerian govt, Private Institutions Partner to Boost Healthcare Workforce
By Edward Samuel, Abuja
The Federal Government has facilitated the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), between the National Hospital, Abuja, and four private institutions to strengthen the training capacity of Nigeria’s healthcare workforce.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, the Coordinating Minister of Health & Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, emphasized that the agreement aligns with the administration’s policy of expanding training capacities to address workforce shortages in the health sector.
The institutions involved in the partnership include Nile University, Cosmopolitan University, Yangongwo College of Nursing Sciences, and Concerned Medix Foundation, a diaspora-based Nigerian organization.
“This signing of the MoU with the National Hospital, Abuja, aligns with the policy of the present administration to expand training capacities.
“It is a testament to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to expanding the training of health workers, filling the gaps created by those who left, and maintaining standards through the Regulatory and Professional Schools Division of the Hospital Services Department of the Ministry,” he said.
Prof. Pate further stated that the government has a duty to provide solutions to challenges such as infrastructure, equipment, and human capital development, noting that Nigerian health workers are highly skilled, making them attractive to foreign countries.
“Thankfully, because they are well-trained, we are very proud of them. If we weren’t training them, they wouldn’t have been attractive to other countries. Unfortunately, that has implications on service delivery at home. So, as a government, we took a progressive stance to say, look, let’s train more.
“So that even if those who are trained leave, some will stay, and even those who have gone away might come back to serve, and that is the driving force behind this policy approval by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he explained.
The minister also highlighted the critical role of private sector collaboration in achieving government objectives in the health sector.
“Our health sector is a mixed system comprising public and private sectors, so, the private sector has a space, and I am very pleased that you have joined hands with the National Hospital to be able to really see how the capabilities of the hospital can help you train more of the clinicians,” he added.
Also speaking at the event, the Chief Medical Director of the National Hospital, Prof. Raji Mahmud, commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s priority attention to improving the healthcare system, he affirmed that the collaboration would significantly increase the training of healthcare professionals.
“The collaboration and signing of the MoU between the National Hospital, Abuja, and private institutions will increase healthcare workforce training exponentially,” Prof. Mahmud stated.
He further pointed out that three out of the four institutions involved in the partnership are primarily training institutions focused on educating medical students and nurses alongside the National Hospital, Abuja.
Additionally, Barrister Tobi Omosa, Director of the Legal Service Department of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, expressed optimism that the MoU would strengthen healthcare training standards in Nigeria.
With this collaboration, stakeholders expect an increase in the number of trained healthcare professionals, ensuring improved service delivery and a more resilient healthcare system in Nigeria.
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