BY AHMED AKANBI

The National Coordinator of the Tinubu Health Sector Practitioners Alliance (TIHSEPA), Dr. Ogechi Lokpobiri, has said President Bola Tinubu’s health reforms are boosting manpower, insurance coverage and infrastructure.

Lokpobiri said nursing and midwifery training quotas have jumped from 28,000 in May 2023 to 115,000 for the 2025 academic year under the administration.

She also cited retraining of over 69,000 frontline health workers and approval of recruitment waivers for 20,000 additional personnel to strengthen service delivery nationwide.

The TIHSEPA coordinator, wife of the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, called for sustained investment in training, welfare and modern facilities to retain the growing workforce.

She commended Health Minister Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate and Education Minister Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa for driving reforms in medical education and healthcare services.

Lokpobiri said synergy between both ministries is key to producing skilled professionals and equipping medical institutions for quality care.

She welcomed the Nigeria Strategic Directions for Nursing and Midwifery 2025–2030, describing it as a framework for improving education, leadership, regulation and workforce development.

She however warned that expanded training must be matched with better welfare, adequate staffing, modern equipment and improved working conditions.

On medical education, she highlighted N110 billion investment for 18 medical schools under the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative, plus rehabilitation of 12 engineering and technology faculties.

She also listed health infrastructure projects announced in May 2026, including a lab complex at UUTH, Uyo, a mental health centre at UMTH, Maiduguri, an immunisation hub in Oshodi, Lagos, and new PHCs in Kano and Delta.

She noted deployment of 145 tricycle ambulances, six boat ambulances, 79 ambulances for tertiary hospitals and plans for CNG-powered ambulances across 73 federal tertiary facilities.

On financing, Lokpobiri said health insurance enrolment exceeded 22 million by July 2026, up 35 percent since 2023, which could cut out-of-pocket spending, while urging local drug manufacturing.

She cited a 2025 Federal Ministry of Health review showing 17 percent drop in maternal deaths and 12 percent decline in newborn deaths across 172 high-burden LGAs, saying Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda is laying foundation for a stronger system and deserves a second term to consolidate gains.