The federal government has reaffirmed its commitment to achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030, stressing the need for stronger coordination, accountability and equitable access to quality healthcare services.
The Director of Health Planning, Research and Statistics at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Mrs Adijah Elijah, stated this in Abuja yesterday at the Health Equity Conference 2026, organised by OneBarrow International Limited.
Speaking on the theme: “Care Coordination as the Core Engine of Health Equity,” Elijah said achieving health equity required stakeholders to move beyond policy formulation to effective implementation with measurable outcomes.
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She defined health equity as ensuring that everyone had a fair opportunity to attain the highest possible level of health, irrespective of income, geographical location, gender, disability or social status.
According to her, Universal Health Coverage means that everyone can access the quality health services they need without suffering financial hardship.
Elijah said the federal government’s health sector reform agenda, including the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative and the Sector-Wide Approach, provided a framework for improving coordination, aligning investments and strengthening accountability across the health sector.
She noted that sustainable improvements in health outcomes could not be achieved through isolated programmes, but required a coordinated national response involving government institutions, development partners, healthcare providers, communities and other stakeholders.
The director urged participants to translate their commitments into practical actions that would improve healthcare delivery and ensure that government policies benefited the people they were designed to serve.
“As representatives of government, development partners, regulatory bodies, civil society and the private sector, we must leave this conference with renewed determination to turn our collective commitments into practical and measurable results.
“Let us ensure our policies reach the people they are designed for,” she said.
Elijah commended the organisers for bringing together policymakers, healthcare practitioners, researchers, development partners and other stakeholders to explore ways of translating health policies into tangible improvements in people’s lives.
Earlier, the Founder of OneBarrow International Limited, Nigeria, Yemi Ajao, said poor health continued to undermine the productive potential of individuals, families, businesses and communities.
He said the consequences of illness extended beyond affected individuals, as children could lose learning opportunities, parents could be unable to earn a living, and professionals could be prevented from working.
“Families carry the burden. Employers feel the loss. Communities lose opportunities.
“And when people repeatedly struggle to receive care, their confidence in the system suffers,” Ajao said.
He also expressed concern over the number of Nigerians seeking opportunities in countries where healthcare and other public systems function more reliably, stressing that Nigerians in the diaspora remained connected to their home country.
According to him, improving Nigeria’s healthcare system was a shared responsibility that required the commitment of citizens and stakeholders.
“Home is home. And our pride in home must give us the courage to improve it,” he said.
Ajao further called for a patient-centred approach to healthcare delivery, arguing that the system should be organised around patients’ needs rather than treating healthcare as a collection of separate professional responsibilities and institutional departments.
He explained that a patient’s journey could involve community healthcare providers, hospitals, laboratories, pharmacies, specialists, health insurance providers and emergency transport services.
He said effective coordination was necessary to ensure that information, responsibility and clear guidance on the next steps followed patients throughout their healthcare journey.
“When those connections fail, the patient and family are often left to coordinate the system themselves,” Ajao said.
