Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare Muhammad Pate has credited President Bola Tinubu's administration with reviving Nigeria's health sector through reforms that address longstanding worker grievances, while faulting predecessors Buhari and Jonathan for failing to create conducive environments. In a December 21 X broadcast, Pate highlighted transparent negotiations yielding an increased retirement age from 60 to 65 for clinical staff, cleared 2023 arrears, processed new hazard allowances, and full settlement of over ₦10 billion in 2025 Medical Residency Training Fund debts. He noted ongoing salary adjustments under CONHESS and CONMESS, plus Collective Bargaining Agreements tackling demands from NMA, JOHESU, and NANNM, achieving over 90% union satisfaction despite minor disruptions by a "small segment."
Pate touted surging metrics hospital visits quadrupling from 10 million in Q2 2024 to nearly 40 million by Q2 2025, a 52% drop in medical tourism forex per CBN data, and rising confidence polls at 55% system-wide, 67% for emergency management, and 74% patient satisfaction as proof of progress under Tinubu's "compassionate leadership." Amid recruitment of 20,000 frontline workers and ₦50 billion for allowances, he urged industrial harmony, praising the majority's dedication while advancing NHSRII's $3 billion mobilization for PHC upgrades. Reforms encompass 500 high-impact projects, 13 tertiary institutions, six cancer centers, and digital connectivity, potentially saving ₦4.8 trillion yearly from preventable diseases.
This narrative counters past poor implementations fueling dissatisfaction, positioning Tinubu's compact now endorsed by locals and partners as a turnaround reversing brain drain and forex losses. Pate's address underscores worker welfare as renewal's core, with calls for states to boost BHCPF funding amid growing foreign patronage signaling reversed tourism.