Health
FG reports health gains, urges NMA to lead fight against quackery
The federal government has urged the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) to strengthen professional accountability and take a leading role in the fight against quackery in the health sector.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Salako, made the call on Wednesday in Abuja at the NMA’s First Ordinary National Executive Council meeting of the new National Executive Committee for 2026.
The meeting, themed “Transforming Healthcare Practice in Nigeria: Building Trust, Accountability and Collaborative Excellence”, brought together medical practitioners, senior members of the profession, government officials and policymakers.
Health sector reforms
Mr Salako said the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, signed in December 2023, had recorded 84 per cent implementation, according to the 2025 Joint Annual Review.
He said the health sector’s share of the national budget had risen to 5.2 per cent, while funding under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) increased from N131.5 billion in 2024 to N299 billion in 2026.
He said the increased investment had translated into improvements in primary healthcare delivery.
“More than 8,000 primary health care centres now receive direct facility financing, close to 4,000 PHCs have been upgraded, and monthly patient visits to Fund-supported facilities have risen from about 10 million in early 2024 to 45 million by mid-2025,” Mr Salako said.
He also highlighted gains under the Maternal Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative, saying the 172 local government areas with the highest burden recorded a 17 per cent reduction in maternal deaths and a 12 per cent reduction in newborn deaths.
According to him, more than 48,000 women received free emergency obstetric care, while over 4,000 free caesarean sections were performed in National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) empanelled facilities.
He added that more than 4,700 women received free vesico-vaginal fistula repairs across 207 facilities.
On health insurance, Mr Salako said coverage had increased from about 16 million Nigerians in 2023 to more than 22 million.
Health workforce
Mr Salako said 37,000 health workers had been recruited into federal hospitals since 2024, while medical school quotas had been doubled to 10,000.
He added that N110 billion had been committed to upgrading 18 training institutions.
He also said a National Policy on Health Workforce Migration and a Diaspora Health Portal had been adopted.
Call for accountability
Mr Salako said the government was delivering on funding and policy, but patients ultimately judged the health system by their experiences with healthcare professionals.
He therefore urged the NMA to strengthen clinical governance, ensure accurate reporting of deaths and conclude disciplinary cases.
He also condemned absenteeism, the diversion of patients to private facilities and informal payments by healthcare workers.
“The government will never sacrifice public health on the altar of professional solidarity,” he said.
On quackery, Mr Salako described the practice as “homicide by instalment”.
READ ALSO: Federal govt launches alcohol policy, targets harmful use, illicit trade
He also cited the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control’s (NAFDAC) removal of falsified drugs worth N1 trillion from Aba, Onitsha and Lagos.
Organ harvesting investigation
Mr Salako also announced an investigation into a viral report alleging the existence of an organ-harvesting syndicate in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
He said the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, through its National Tertiary Health Institutions Standard Committee, had developed national standards and guidelines for organ and tissue transplantation.
According to him, the guidelines require informed consent and prohibit the commercialisation of organ and tissue transplantation.
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The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has said two suspected Ebola cases identified in Adamawa State have tested negative for the virus.
The development came hours after the agency announced that two suspected Ebola cases had been identified in Nigeria’s North-east, without disclosing the state where they were found.
In a statement signed by its Director-General, Jide Idris, on Saturday evening, the NCDC said the samples collected from the two individuals tested negative for Ebola virus after two rounds of testing.
The agency said the suspected cases were reported in Yola, Adamawa State, on 30 October after the two individuals presented with symptoms suggestive of Ebola.
“Fortunately, the samples turned out negative for EVD after two rounds of testing,” Mr Idris said.
Mr Idris said there is currently no laboratory-confirmed Ebola case in Adamawa State.
He added that the index case previously confirmed in the Federal Capital Territory remains the only confirmed Ebola case reported in Nigeria to date.
Ebola outbreak
The development comes 11 days after Nigeria confirmed its first case of Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus.
Nigeria is one of five countries that have detected Bundibugyo virus disease during the current outbreak, which began in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in May.
The outbreak has remained concentrated in the DRC but has spread beyond the country.
Nigeria’s first confirmed case of Ebola in 2026 was a woman who travelled from Uganda to Abuja and tested positive on 20 October. She was subsequently medically evacuated to Switzerland for continued treatment.
READ ALSO: Ebola: No new cases in Nigeria as two suspected cases in North-east test negative
The NCDC’s latest situation report said 62 contacts linked to Nigeria’s confirmed case had been identified and were being monitored.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, had said genomic analysis showed that the virus detected in the Nigerian patient was closely related to the strain identified in Kenya’s first imported case. He, however, said the finding did not establish that the Nigerian patient was infected in Kenya.
WHO’s latest update reported 10,274 confirmed cases and 4,992 deaths in the DRC as of 28 October. Kenya has recorded nine confirmed cases and two deaths, while Nigeria has one confirmed case at the time of the update.
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The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has reported two new suspected cases of Ebola disease in Nigeria’s North-east region.
The agency disclosed this in an update posted on its official X account on Saturday, noting that both individuals had been isolated while contact identification and listing were ongoing.
“Laboratory testing is being conducted,” the NCDC said, adding that being classified as suspected cases does not mean the individuals have Ebola, as confirmation depends on laboratory results.
The agency urged Nigerians to maintain good hand hygiene, practise enhanced sanitation and follow guidance from public health authorities.
The development comes 11 days after Nigeria confirmed its first case of Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus.
The NCDC is yet to provide specific details on the states where the suspected cases were identified. In its post on X, the agency said, “Further updates will be provided as verified information becomes available.”
The NCDC Director-General Jide Idris in a post on Linkedin said contact tracing is also taking into account recent movements within the country to ensure all contacts are identified and monitored.
“We urge the public to avoid speculation or the spread of unverified information. Instead, we encourage everyone to reinforce basic but critical hygiene practices: frequent handwashing, use of alcohol-based sanitisers, and seeking immediate care at designated facilities if unusual symptoms arise,” Mr Idris noted.
Nigeria, regional outbreak
Nigeria is one of five countries that have detected Bundibugyo virus disease during the current outbreak, which began in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in May.
The outbreak has remained concentrated in the DRC but has spread beyond the country.
Nigeria’s first confirmed case of Ebola in 2026 was a woman who travelled from Uganda to Abuja and tested positive on 20 October. She was subsequently medically evacuated to Switzerland for continued treatment.
READ ALSO: Ebola: Africa CDC mourns as DRC doctor dies from virus
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, had earlier said genomic analysis showed that the virus detected in the Nigerian patient was closely related to the strain identified in Kenya’s first imported case.
As of 28 October, WHO reported 10,274 confirmed cases and 4,992 confirmed deaths in the DRC. The agency also recorded nine confirmed cases and two deaths in Kenya, one confirmed case in Nigeria, 20 confirmed cases and two deaths in Uganda, and one imported case in France.
Overall, WHO reported 10,305 confirmed cases and 4,996 confirmed deaths across the affected countries.
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