Ali Pate: Enrolment into medical schools increased to 64,000 annually

Ali Pate, coordinating minister of health and social welfare, says the enrolment quota in medical, nursing, and other health professional institutions has increased.

Speaking on Friday at the ministerial press briefing to mark the one-year anniversary of President Bola Tinubu administration in Abuja, Pate said the enrollment quota has increased to 64,000 from 28,000 annually.

The minister added that such progress would address the impact of the exit of Nigerian health workers.

“That is just the first step. The education sector will have to play its role. The states will have to improve the infrastructure, the training, and the tools to produce more healthcare workforce because we need to produce more healthcare workforce given that we’re losing some so that we can serve the population of this country,” Pate said.

Speaking on the primary health care centres, the health minister said at least 1,400 centres can now provide skilled birth attendants.

Pate noted that more than 2,400 health workers – doctors, nurses, and midwives — are been recruited in facilities to provide essential health services to Nigerians in rural areas.

He said the federal government has disbursed the first tranche of N25 billion of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund through the National Primary Health Care Development Agency and the National Health Insurance Authority.

“We put a condition that states that will access those funds have to comply with the guidelines that have been provided, responding to lapses that have been observed over here so that the resources go to Nigerians,” Pate said.

“Twenty-three states have received those funds, and I believe that the rest of the states are just about to complete and receive their financing to channel through the PHCs.”

The health minister added that the government is committed to training more health workers to build their capacity.