Sokoto, Delta, others lead in implementing national health sector resolutions

The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has recognised Sokoto, Jigawa, Zamfara, Taraba, Delta, Plateau, and the Federal Capital Territory as the top performers in implementing key resolutions from the 2024 National Council on Health.

This was disclosed by the Ministry’s Director of Health Planning, Research, and Statistics, Kamil Shoretire, on Wednesday, while presenting the implementation status report during the ongoing 66th NCH meeting in Calabar.

Themed “My Health, My Right: Accelerating Universal Health Coverage Through Equity, Resilience, and Innovation,” the NCH meeting brings together stakeholders to assess and advance health policies across the country.

The NCH is a high-level governance body responsible for formulating, coordinating, and implementing health policies and programs in Nigeria.

According to the report, Abia, Kogi, Bauchi, Enugu, and Osun States have recorded slower progress in executing the health sector commitments agreed upon at last year’s Council.

“Topping the response and the resolution implementation is Sokoto state, followed by Jigawa state, Zamfara State, Taraba state, Delta state, FCT, and Plateau.

“Also, Kebbi is coming from behind, followed by Abia, Kogi, Bauchi, Enugu, and Osun,” he highlighted.

The 65th NCH, held in Maiduguri in 2024, approved 58 memos and major resolutions aimed at strengthening the health workforce, improving nutrition, enhancing primary healthcare delivery and advancing maternal and child health services.

Shoretire noted that although the Council adopts resolutions annually, many states continue to struggle with translating policy decisions into actionable programmes.

He said these implementation gaps remain a major barrier to nationwide progress and urged stronger technical capacity at the subnational level to improve execution.

Shoretire urged states to partner with academia, research institutions, and policy experts to help translate resolutions into actionable activities that will accelerate implementation.

He also called on Commissioners for Health and key stakeholders to intensify advocacy in their states, ensuring that NCH resolutions are well understood, properly adopted, and adequately funded.

He stated that over the past year, many states have experienced significant developments in the health sector. He noted that, on average, about one-third of the resolutions from the Council have been implemented nationwide and the national implementation rate is around 31 per cent.

“On average, about one-third of the resolutions from the Council have been implemented nationwide. The national implementation rate is around 31 per cent, and the process is still ongoing because the resolutions were not intended to be completed within a one-year cycle,” he noted.

He further explained that with more revenue, greater focus on health, and stronger engagement from governors, stakeholders, health commissioners, and their teams, the implementation of these resolutions is expected to improve over time.

This should lead to a higher response rate than what is currently observed.

When asked about the slow progress in implementing the resolutions, Shoretire explained that several challenges were responsible.

He noted that some of those issues came up after the budget had been made, which meant that states could not immediately allocate funds to address them.

He added that the resolutions had not been widely disseminated or effectively advocated for, and that their implementation had also been hampered by limited funding.

“Collectively, these factors affected the pace of implementation across the states. However, with ongoing coordination, advocacy, and adequate resources, states will accelerate their efforts and achieve better results in implementing health-related solutions,” he said.