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Health Policy Takes Center Stage in Calabar as 66th NCH Begins





By Kingsley Agim

Nigeria’s foremost health policymakers, technical experts, and development partners have gathered in Calabar for the 66th Regular Meeting of the National Council on Health (NCH), which commenced on Monday at the Calabar International Convention Centre (CICC). The week-long meeting, widely recognized as the nation’s highest decision-making platform for the health sector, opened with rigorous technical sessions aimed at fast-tracking Universal Health Coverage (UHC) through equity, resilience, and innovation.

Held under the theme “My Health, My Right: Accelerating Universal Health Coverage through Equity, Resilience, and Innovation,” the opening sessions featured a structured review of national health policies and progress. Delegates examined the procedure for the technical deliberations, revisited the resolutions of the 65th NCH, assessed progress made by states and federal institutions, and began evaluating critical memos expected to shape the country’s health trajectory over the coming years.

Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Mrs. Daju Kachollom, reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to comprehensive health sector reform, emphasizing ongoing work in primary healthcare revitalization, supply chain logistics, human resources for health, and transparency systems. She noted that the recently approved Health Workforce Migration Policy remains pivotal to retaining talent, managing brain drain, and ensuring a fair distribution of health workers nationwide.

“The theme of this council is timely and compelling,” she stated. “It reminds us to place the Nigerian citizen at the center of every policy decision and to ensure that our collective actions genuinely advance Universal Health Coverage.”

Earlier in his welcome remarks, Cross River State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Henry Egbe Ayuk, described the hosting of the 66th NCH in Calabar as both significant and strategic. He stressed that the Council remains an indispensable platform for generating ideas and policies that guarantee equitable access to quality healthcare for all Nigerians, irrespective of socioeconomic status.

“As we gather today, our shared responsibility is to deepen access to healthcare for every Nigerian,” Dr. Ayuk said. “Our deliberations must push the nation closer to achieving Universal Health Coverage, not merely through financial access, but through a well-distributed workforce, quality medicines, and functional infrastructure.”

He further tasked delegates with proposing practical, evidence-driven memos aligned with the Health Sector Strategic Blueprint 2023–2027 and ensuring that outcomes from the technical sessions translate into tangible improvements in service delivery.

The meeting continues on Day Two with three additional technical sessions dedicated to memo reviews and thematic presentations. Key highlights include a presentation by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) titled “The Critical Missing Link in Crashing Maternal and Neonatal Mortality in Nigeria,” as well as a paper by Dr. Ofem Enang on “Health Workforce Development and Retention Strategies: The Nigerian Experience.”

The five-day conference will conclude with a high-level policy session where council resolutions will be adopted to guide both national and state-level implementation. Stakeholders anticipate that this year’s NCH will significantly strengthen Nigeria’s march toward Universal Health Coverage and reinforce efforts to build a more resilient, equitable, and citizen-centered health system.

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