The Plateau Government has revitalised 105 primary healthcare centres (PHCs) and upgraded two others to cottage hospitals, the Commissioner for Health, Dr Nicholas Ba’amlong, has said.
Ba’amlong, who disclosed this at the 12th Plateau Council on Health meeting on Tuesday in Jos, highlighted the progress recorded since the previous meeting.
He explained that the achievements built on the outcomes of the 11th council meeting held in 2025, which strengthened the state’s health system in line with national healthcare priorities.
He noted that the government had intensified PHC revitalisation through infrastructure improvements, the provision of equipment and the recruitment of healthcare workers to expand essential services in rural and underserved communities.
Ba’amlong said the Tudun Wada facility in Jos North Local Government Area and another in Wase Local Government Area were the two centres upgraded to cottage hospitals.
According to him, the Tudun Wada Cottage Hospital had been commissioned and was operational, while the Wase facility would soon be commissioned to serve residents.
He added that the government had strengthened the healthcare workforce following Governor Caleb Mutfwang’s approval for the recruitment of 1,300 healthcare workers across the state’s health sector.
He explained that 1,050 recruits were earmarked for primary healthcare centres, while 150 were designated for the Primary Healthcare Board to improve service delivery.
The commissioner further disclosed that healthcare workers had received training, while continuous workforce development remained ongoing to enhance professional competence and improve healthcare delivery across Plateau communities.
He said enrolment in the Plateau State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (PLASCHEMA) had risen to 320,000, helping to reduce out-of-pocket expenditure and expand access to healthcare services.
Ba’amlong also said the state had developed an action plan to strengthen disease surveillance and improve data reporting for more effective health planning and response.
He expressed optimism that the 12th council meeting would strengthen the healthcare system, promote efficient service delivery and establish future priorities for healthcare policies, programmes and reforms across Plateau State.
Declaring the meeting open, Governor Caleb Mutfwang, represented by his deputy, Josephine Piyo, reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to ensuring accessible healthcare for all residents, regardless of their circumstances.
Mutfwang emphasised that healthcare should be considered a right rather than a privilege, pledging continued investment in primary healthcare revitalisation across the state’s 17 local government areas.
He reiterated the administration’s aim to ensure that every federal and state ward had a functional, adequately staffed and properly equipped primary healthcare facility to serve its population.
The governor pledged to expand health insurance enrolment, particularly among indigent and vulnerable residents, to ensure that financial difficulties did not prevent people from accessing necessary medical care.
He further announced plans to recruit additional healthcare workers, while training opportunities and improved welfare packages would strengthen workforce capacity and support better patient care.
Mutfwang said secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities were also undergoing improvements, including equipment upgrades, the digitalisation of medical records and stronger emergency response systems to enhance healthcare services.
He disclosed that Plateau State Specialist Hospital was being upgraded to serve as a teaching hospital for Plateau State University’s College of Health Sciences, a development that would require additional infrastructure, personnel and equipment.
The governor called for stronger partnerships with federal health authorities, development partners, non-governmental organisations and the private sector, stressing that practical resolutions should guide healthcare policies, budgets and reforms.
The Chief Medical Director of Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), Dr Pokop Bupwatda, delivered the keynote address, titled “From Policy to People: Consolidating Quality Universal Health Coverage and Health Security on the Plateau”.
