The Pan-African Surgical Healthcare Forum (PASHeF 2025) has reaffirmed its role as a major continental platform empowering African nations to design and implement homegrown solutions that strengthen surgical healthcare systems.

Now in its third year, the forum brought together representatives from the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa (WHO AFRO), WHO Ethiopia Country Office, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the African Union (AU), as well as delegates from 42 African Ministries of Health and Finance. This year’s theme, “From Policy to Practice – Expanding Africa’s Multidisciplinary Surgical Workforce: What Works for Africa?” underscored the forum’s commitment to turning policy commitments into real-world results.

PASHeF 2025 focused on showcasing scalable innovations, sharing successful national models, and presenting sustainable financing mechanisms to strengthen surgical, obstetric, and anesthesia care across the continent.

One of the key moments of the event was the presentation of Sierra Leone’s newly launched National Surgical, Obstetric, and Anaesthesia Plan (NSOAP) 2026–2030 by Dr. med. Mustapha Kabba, the country’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Clinical Services. Developed in partnership with national institutions and international organizations, including Mercy Ships, the plan outlines a strategic, costed roadmap for expanding safe, affordable, and timely surgical care nationwide.

Mercy Ships was represented at the forum by Dr. Walt Johnson, the organisation’s Director of Strategic Partnerships and former WHO lead for Emergency and Essential Surgical Care. He reiterated the group’s longstanding commitment to supporting Africa’s surgical capacity.

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“Africa is driving its own way towards creating its own solutions,” Dr. Johnson said. “The launch of Sierra Leone’s NSOAP demonstrates how political commitment and strong partnerships can translate into real improvements in access to surgical care. PASHeF provides exactly the platform needed to move these ambitions into concrete action at the continental level.”

Across Africa, more countries—including Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, Madagascar, and Tanzania—are developing their own NSOAPs at various stages. This trend, stakeholders say, positions PASHeF as a central force for coordinated regional progress.

NSOAPs were developed in line with recommendations from the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery (LCoGS) and the UN General Assembly Resolution 68.15, which call for essential surgery to be integrated into national health systems as a critical part of advancing Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

According to LCoGS, an estimated 5 billion people globally do not have access to safe and timely surgical care. This includes 1.7 billion children living with treatable conditions such as cleft lip and palate, hernia, club foot, injuries, and congenital anomalies. Experts emphasize that early surgical intervention saves lives and contributes significantly to social and economic development.

Ethiopia’s Minister of Health, Dr. Mekdes Daba, an Obstetrician/Gynecologist, stressed that surgical care must remain central to Africa’s pursuit of UHC. She called for bold, government-driven strategies to transform surgical systems across the continent.

A major outcome of the meeting was the unanimous adoption of two resolutions by all participating governments. In addition, the forum cemented a strengthened partnership with the Africa CDC. As the African Union’s health technical agency, Africa CDC is expected to champion the integration of PASHeF resolutions into AU agendas and drive their implementation across member states.

The Enugu State Universal Health Coverage (ESA-UHC) says it has enrolled 220,000 residents since the programme began in 2020, aimed at providing affordable and quality healthcare for all citizens.

Dr Edith Okolo, Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of ESA-UHC, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Enugu, highlighting significant progress.

She said the number of enrollees, which had remained static for some time, began to rise in 2025 as more residents registered through intensified sensitisation and rural mobilisation by council chairmen.

Okolo urged residents to register for the scheme by paying a reduced annual premium of N12,000 to access essential healthcare services that would otherwise cost them significantly more privately.

She explained that the agency’s mandate was to ensure every Enugu resident enjoyed access to quality, affordable healthcare through a basic minimum package covering preventive, curative, and maternal health services.

“The N12,000 annual premium provides treatments including hospital admissions for surgical cases up to 20 days and medical cases up to 15 days cumulatively each year.

“It also covers cesarean sections, which have saved the lives of many women and newborns by enabling them to deliver safely at accredited healthcare facilities,” she added.

Okolo noted that ESA-UHC continuously expanded its hospital network, engaging state-owned, faith-based, and private facilities to provide quality services, with all registered primary healthcare centres eligible to participate.

“Patients choose their preferred hospitals; we do not assign them anywhere. There is no third party between the agency and healthcare providers,” she stressed.

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She said ESA-UHC had intensified awareness campaigns to encourage more enrolment, adding that the registration process had been simplified for easy access across the state’s local government areas.

According to her, the state operates two health insurance schemes, the ESA-UHC and the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF), funded jointly by federal and state health authorities.

She explained that BHCPF targeted vulnerable groups, including pregnant women, children under five, persons with disabilities, and elderly residents aged 85 and above across Enugu communities.

“These programmes are meant for the poor in our communities. Currently, about 54,000 vulnerable persons are receiving care under the BHCPF programme,” Okolo disclosed.

She added that registration often took place through community outreaches and the state’s social register, which identified vulnerable residents needing healthcare support under the scheme.

Okolo emphasised that the National Health Insurance Authority Act 2021 made health insurance mandatory for all Nigerians, while the agency continued sensitising residents about its long-term benefits.

She noted that some residents were initially skeptical about accessing quality healthcare with a N12,000 premium, but growing success stories had built public confidence in the programme.

Okolo revealed that ESA-UHC would use its forthcoming Universal Health Coverage Summit, scheduled for Dec. 8 to 12, to further promote enrolment and create greater awareness of the scheme.

(NAN)

The Federal Government has met with the leadership of health sector unions and associations as part of ongoing reconciliation efforts to sustain industrial harmony in the nation’s health care system.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, said this in a statement issued on Saturday by the Director, Press and Public Relations, Mr Alaba Balogun.

According to the statement, Pate, who led the government’s delegation, said the administration of President Bola Tinubu holds health workers in high esteem and remains committed to improving their welfare.

“He appreciates all Nigerian health workers, whom he regards as key to realising the Renewed Hope Agenda for the health sector.

“His administration has made significant investments in infrastructure, equipment, services, and welfare and will do even more,” he said.

Pate stressed that the timely implementation of agreements recently reached with the unions was critical to maintaining healthcare services, which he noted had undergone significant reforms in the past two years.

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According to him, Nigerian hospitals are now attracting patients from other West African countries, as well as Europe and America, due to improvements in the system.

He also described the meeting as the first of its kind, commending the dedication of health workers and expressing satisfaction with the level of discussions held.

He added that to ensure effective execution of the agreements, the Federal Government has set up an Inter-Ministerial Committee chaired by the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako.

“The committee includes Ms. Daju Kachollom, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and a representative of the Ministry of Labour and Employment and a delegate from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.”

Others are a member of the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission; representatives of the Federal Ministry of Finance and Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, and the Budget Office.

Also speaking, the Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs, Dr Tanko Sununu, commended both the unions and the health ministers, stressing that agreements should be implemented consistently and uniformly.

He also called for continuous dialogue between the government and unions to ensure lasting industrial peace in the health sector.

(NAN) 

Dr Douglas Okor, Consultant Neurosurgeon and Health Reform Advocate, has urged Nigeria’s political leaders to make the rebuilding of the country’s ailing health system a national priority.

In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja, Okor said that meaningful health sector reform could not happen without deliberate, top-down commitment.

“Health sector improvement starts from the top.

“All the Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), federal and state governments, and lawmakers must understand that health is not optional. It’s a mainstream public good.

“You can not develop a country without sorting out your healthcare system,” he said.

Referencing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), he pointed to Goal 3, Good Health and Well-being, as a reminder that a functional healthcare system was foundational to national development

He urged leaders to back their rhetoric with adequate funding and the political will to drive change.

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Okor also underscored the critical role of civil society, healthcare professional associations, faith-based organisaations, and especially the media in spotlighting health issues and keeping them at the forefront of national discourse.

“The media must mainstream healthcare and set the agenda so that Nigerians understand how critical it is,” he said.

With the 2027 general elections already entering political conversations, he urged voters to hold aspiring politicians accountable by demanding specific, actionable plans for health reform.

“Our healthcare system is weak and broken. The question every citizen must ask is: ‘What are you going to do about healthcare?’” he said.

He stressed that true reform must benefit all Nigerians, not just the urban middle class.

In particular, he identified two urgent focus areas: Nigeria’s under-resourced and poorly coordinated primary healthcare system and its fragile emergency medical services.

“We must build a system that serves everyone, including rural dwellers.

“Leadership must model this commitment so that others follow.

“That’s how you create national culture and real reform,” he said.

(NAN)