By Muhammad Amaan
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, has urged participants of the maiden National Health Fellows Programme to build on the existing health sector reforms.
He made the remarks on Wednesday in Abuja, at the training session for the 774 pioneer participants of the fellowship.
According to him, the participants are future leaders who will accelerate healthcare reform, improve accountability, and have the opportunity to be coached and mentored.
He emphasised the importance of their commitment to contributing to the country’s health sector reforms and to continuous learning, so that together, they can build a stronger, more reliable healthcare system.
The minister noted that the participants’ efforts were crucial in achieving President Bola Tinubu’s vision for a prosperous and healthy Nigeria.
“We are genuinely interested in your development and in giving you the opportunity to learn and to contribute.
“When you exit from the programme, we hope you will acquire skills and some understanding of yourselves that you will sow into the future.”
Regarding the selection process, Prof. Pate said that the 774 participants were chosen from about 359,000 applicants, adding that it was a merit-based selection with a huge representation of women, men and disabled population.
The minister, however, said that the unsuccessful candidates would be encouraged to participate in the Associate Health Fellows programme.
The newly unveiled one-year National Health Fellows Programme is aimed at boosting the health sector. The programme brought together emerging professionals across several disciplines.
This includes health, health-related fields, information technology, and social sciences intended to cultivate a cadre of highly skilled and motivated health leaders capable of driving innovation in the health sector.
Championed by the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (HSRII) SWAp Coordination Office under the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, it drew participants from all the 774 LGAs.
