Smile Train’s Vice President and Regional Director for Africa, Nkeiruka Obi has said Nigeria is leading the African continent in the provision of surgical and anaesthesia care to the vulnerable, especially children.
Speaking at the 5th National Surgical, Obstetrics, Anesthesia and Nursing Plan (NSOANP) stakeholders forum ongoing in Abuja to review the five-year NSOANP 1 programme which has officially come to an end.
She said that the small but deliberate steps being taken by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare were translating into success stories and sustained advocacy for health system strengthening.
Mrs Obi, however, stressed the urgent need for deepened multi-stakeholder engagement, inter-ministerial collaboration, and policy-level streamlining within local contexts to strengthen surgical care, help Nigeria achieve Universal Health Care (UHC) coverage, and foster an environment where Nigeria’s health professionals and health system would flourish.
She said: “Nigeria stands proudly as a leader in Africa and globally in delivering quality surgical and anaesthesia care to vulnerable cleft patients.
“This year has been a testament to this commitment, marked by significant milestones, including Nigeria’s active participation in the 2nd Pan-African Surgical Healthcare Forum (PASHeF) alongside 40 African Union member states.
“These platforms emphasize the need for national, regional, and continental action, informed by robust governance, to propel surgical care into the future. The small but deliberate steps we take to collaborate and innovate are a victory for our health heroes and a testament to the transformative power of partnerships.”
Commending the inclusion of surgical repair of cleft lip and palate under the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) cover, Obi urged the Nigerian government to ensure timely and effective implementation of policies targeted at providing Nigerians access to life-changing care.
“On Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day, we are reminded of the critical role of financial protection in achieving health for all. With 2 billion people worldwide facing financial hardship due to health costs and 1.3 billion pushed into poverty, the stakes are high.
“Surgical repair of cleft lip and palate is now covered under Nigeria’s National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), but how well has this policy been implemented? Can we ensure that the countless Nigerians relying on us can access life-changing care without impoverishment?
“Healthier populations are the foundation of resilient, productive, and prosperous communities. UHC is not just a goal, it is a prerequisite for achieving sustainable development.
“It requires urgent action, bold investments, and unwavering commitment to protect the most vulnerable. Let us join voices with global stakeholders to advocate for financial protection and equitable access to care, ensuring that health spending lifts, rather than impoverishes, individuals and families.”
On the dedicated budget line for NSOANP, the Smile Train executive noted that this support from the government would help in ensuring workforce development, being about the much-needed improvement in the areas of; infrastructure, service delivery, leadership, governance as well as in research and health information.
Justina Seyi-Olajide, a member of the NSOANP Implementation Committee and leader of the review team noted that the NSOANP 1 which ran for five years, from 2019 to 2023, t has recorded some success stories including infrastructural development, training of critical healthcare workforce and establishment of a birth defect registry amongst others.
Seyi-Olajide who doubles as a Paediatric surgeon, added that over 90 percent of the achievements recorded under the NSOANP 1 were funded by Smile Train.
“The NSOANP 1 has created a training manual for training medical officers, anaesthesia providers and perioperative nursing providers who offer surgical services at general hospitals to ensure that they deliver safe surgical, obstetrics, anaesthesia and perioperative nursing services.”
She however regretted that funding, limited involvement at the subnational level and health workforce migration have been some of the major challenges that affected the NSOANP 1.
