The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, has emphasised the need for inclusive health policy design that captures the voices of youth, women, and marginalised groups across Nigeria.
Mr Pate made the call on Monday in Abuja during the 10th anniversary celebration of the Stella Adadevoh (DRASA) Health Trust, where he was represented by Nse Akpan, Director of Port Health Services in the ministry, says News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
He said Nigeria’s health reforms would only be effective if rooted in the day-to-day realities and experiences of people at the grassroots, rather than through top-down strategies that often fail to reflect the country’s diversity.
“”Nigeria’s health sector reforms would only succeed if policies were designed to reflect the needs, values, and experiences of people at the grassroots, ” the Minister said. “Policy design in Nigeria will not succeed unless it resonates in the communities, in the marketplace, in the farm, in the school, in churches, in mosques, and in clinics
Mr Pate stressed that genuine inclusion goes beyond fairness and equity.
He criticised the tendency to develop health policies in isolation from the people they are meant to serve, noting that government engagement with communities is vital to ensure that reforms are relevant and impactful.
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“If we sit down here and say we have a lot of failed policies without engaging the grassroots, then the government has not done anything,”,” he added.
Pate commended DRASA Health Trust for its decade-long contribution to Nigeria’s public health system, describing the organisation as a model of community-driven action and effective partnership.
He reiterated the government’s commitment to collaborating with civil society groups, the private sector, and development partners to strengthen the country’s health security and service delivery architecture.
According to him, health security must be seen as a collective responsibility rather than the duty of a few professionals.
“Health security is everyone’s business. It wasn’t the business of Adadevoh alone; it is the business of us all,” he said.
“We do not know when or where the next outbreak will occur, but if we remain united and proactive, we can prevent crises and protect our people.”
Pate also announced plans by the Federal Government, in collaboration with partners like DRASA, to train 50,000 additional health workers to serve in schools and communities across the country.
He said the initiative aims to strengthen community-based health education, improve hygiene, and promote infection prevention practices, while also nurturing a generation of “health champions” nationwide.
The event celebrated the legacy of Dr Stella Adadevoh, whose decisive action during the 2014 Ebola outbreak helped prevent a national health disaster. Adadevoh identified and quarantined Patrick Sawyer, a Liberian-American who arrived in Lagos showing Ebola symptoms, despite intense pressure to release him.
