The Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII) has commenced pilot joint frontline health missions to strengthen coordination and improve maternal and neonatal care outcomes nationwide.
Dr. Muntaqa Umar-Sadiq, National Coordinator of the NHSRII Sector-Wide Coordination Office, disclosed this in an interview with reporters on Thursday in Abuja.
Umar-Sadiq said the initiative was designed to address long-standing gaps in healthcare delivery caused by fragmented implementation across institutions, particularly at the primary healthcare level.
“Reform fails where coordination breaks, and nowhere is that more visible than at the frontline,” he said.
According to Umar-Sadiq, the new approach brings together key actors across the health sector, including the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA).
Other key sectors, he noted, include the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), state ministries of health, professional bodies, and civil society organisations.
He said the coordinated missions involve joint visits to primary healthcare centres, referral facilities, and communities to align both supply- and demand-side interventions.
“At the facility level, institutional alignment is becoming tangible.
“On the supply side, NPHCDA and state ministries are driving primary healthcare revitalisation, including infrastructure upgrades, human resources for health, equipment, emergency transport services, and essential commodities.
“On the demand side, NHIA and state health insurance agencies are strengthening financial access to care, including reimbursement for obstetric complications and Caesarean sections under the Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Reduction Initiative (MAMII),” he said.
According to him, the approach ensures that patients receive care through a seamless, coordinated pathway rather than navigating a fragmented system.
He added that insights gathered from patients, frontline health workers, and communities during the missions were already shaping context-specific, state-led interventions.
Umar-Sadiq said reducing maternal and neonatal mortality requires an end-to-end system that connects early detection, referral, financing, and quality care.
He listed the revitalisation of Basic and Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (BEmONC and CEmONC) and the deployment of community health workers for early identification of high-risk pregnancies as key focus areas.
Other key focus areas, he said, include the use of digital systems for tracking and decision-making, and the provision of emergency transportation to address last-mile challenges.
“This is where alignment must hold, at the point of care and referral,” he said.
He said the government plans to scale up the initiative by expanding participation to development partners, the private sector, local government authorities, and other stakeholders.
According to him, the effort will also feed into quarterly performance dialogues and Joint Annual Reviews to strengthen accountability and results across the health sector.
He said the reforms are being driven under the NHSRII following deliberations at the 14th National Steering Committee and Ministerial Oversight Committee meeting chaired by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare.
He added that the sector-wide shift is anchored on the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF), which is being used to integrate financing, service delivery, and accountability across the health system.
He disclosed that more than N32.8 billion has been approved for the first quarter of 2026 to support over 13,000 primary healthcare facilities nationwide under the BHCPF.
He further said that under MAMII, more than 2.1 million pregnant women have been reached with antenatal care services, representing about 79 per cent coverage in priority local government areas.
According to him, maternal mortality is already declining in supported areas, alongside improvements in service utilisation and health system readiness.
He added that the ongoing reforms include the expansion of CEmONC services, deployment of community health workers, operationalisation of emergency transport systems, and large-scale reimbursement of obstetric emergencies by NHIA.
He further stated that investments in solar power, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), medical equipment, and essential commodities are improving the capacity of facilities to provide round-the-clock quality care.
“The test is simple: can we detect high-risk pregnancies early, ensure timely referral, and guarantee seamless payment for life-saving, quality care? That is the standard we are working to deliver,” he said.
