Wednesday, July 30, 2025 - The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare Prof. Ali Mohammad Pate, has said that federal government is making huge investment to improve healthcare facilities in the country including neurological healthcare management.
Pate who was represented by Dr. Tunde Ojo at the First
Africa Neurological Health Summit jointly organised by the Brain & Spine
Foundation and the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare on Tuesday in
Abuja said there are plans to integrate mental health and neurological
indicators into the National Information Management System
“Through the swap, we are ensuring that the investment in
neurological and mental health care is integrated within broader health
systems, strengthening efforts at ensuring coherence, efficiency,
accountability in delivery to increase visibility.
“Nigeria is working to integrate mental health and
neurological indicators into the National Information Management System. This
will provide real time data for planning, allow for disease burden tracking and
help policy makers make informed decisions across all levels,” he said.
Pate said the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare
has developed and implemented national policy and multi sectoral action plan
for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases in the country.
In addition to the NCD policy, the Minister said that
government is scaling up mental health and neurological services across the
country.
“Since the passage in 2022 of the National Mental Health
Nigeria has subsequently made concerted efforts in transforming the landscape
to promotion, prevention and management of these conditions.
Pate further said that Federal government has integrated
mental health and neurological health into the basic health care provision
fund, where the provision for intervention Fund for healthcare is made with one
percent of the consolidated revenue of the federation.
In her welcome address, the convener of the Summit and
Executive Director, Brain & Spine Foundation, Engr. Chika Okwuolisa said
the event was meant to bring neurological health to the forefront of our
policy, financing, advocacy and healthcare planning.
Founded in 2017, Brain & Spine Foundation said it has
supported over 300 Indigent neurological patients with life-saving
interventions, carried out public education campaigns in schools, markets,
hospitals and cotye nducted facility -based research on hospital readiness for
neurological emergencies.
According to Okwuolisa, the initiative was an attempt, “to
confront one of the most underestimated public health challenges of our time –
the neurological disorders in Africa”.
She said that the aim of the summit was to raise public
awareness and to urge government to make policies that will promote
neurological health.
Okwuolisa spoke of her experience, saying: “My journey here
was born not in an institution but in an Intensive Care Unit. I have held
Victoria, my youngest sister’s hand through five brain surgeries, and two
strokes.
“I have stood helplessly in emergency rooms where there was
no neurologist or neurosurgeon on sight. I have watched how silence,
stigma and financial barriers that can crush lives that could have been saved”.
She lamented that millions across Africa are suffering in
silence from neurological disorders, from brain tumors to strokes, epilepsy,
parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries, multiple
sclerosis, neuro-infections and spectrum of neuro-developmental and
neuro-degenerative conditions.
“Many of these conditions strike with little warning but
leave lifelong consequences, they do not just affect individuals, they shatter
dreams, and disrupt families.
“Sadly, a large number of affected individuals –
particularly in rural and underserved communities are often left without access
to timely diagnosis, emergency response, adopted adequate treatment or
rehabilitation.
“The high cost of care, low awareness, and little or none
existent insurance coverage push many families into despair,” she said.
Representative of the Country Director of the World Health
Organization (WHO), said the body is ready to provide support and technical
assistance to Nigeria in tackling any identified health challenge.
Chairman Advisory Board of Brain & Spine Foundation and
President Nigeria Stroke Organisation, Prof. Yomi Ogun lamented the poor
attention given to the development of specialists in neurological health
management in the country.
Former Minister of Women Affairs Iyom Josephine Anenih used
the opportunity to appeal to federal government and the National Assembly to
approve more funds for health sector and to address the welfare demands of
doctors and health workers in the country.
She said that the country currently lacks adequate medical
personnel and infrastructure to handle the neurological health conditions of
ageing population.
In a presentation at the summit, the Managing Director of
Alliance Hospital, Abuja, Dr. Chris Otabor spoke on infrastructure gap as it
affects neurological healthcare.
He said that there is need more investment in healthcare
infrastructure especially in the provision of specialized equipment for public
hospitals so as help address critical health challenges.
In addition, Otabor said that efforts should be made to
improve on capacity and coverage of the National Insurance scheme to save
Nigerians from the huge burden of treatment for major health challenges
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