By Muhammad Amaan
The Federal Government of Nigeria has reaffirmed that access to quality and affordable healthcare is a fundamental right of every Nigerian, stressing that no citizen should be left behind in the country’s health-care delivery system.
The Minister of State for Health, Dr Izaiaq Salako stated this at the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) annual lecture series and the launch of its five-year National Strategic Plan.
Dr Salako urged medical professionals across the country to reposition themselves as catalysts for health-system transformation, innovation, and improved service delivery.
The five-year national strategic plan 2026–2030 marks a major milestone in the professional body’s efforts to reshape the health sector in Nigeria, as it provides a comprehensive roadmap to strengthen medical practice Beyond organisational development.
The strategic plan emphasizes improving the quality of clinical governance and accountability in Nigeria’s health system, deepens institutional partnerships, and drive health system resilience to drive better patient outcomes.
Health Reporters Newspaper reports that the NMA had on Friday launched its 2026–2030 Strategic Plan, aiming to transform doctors from reactive protesters into active leaders in Nigeria’s health system.
The five-year plan was unveiled in Abuja on Friday alongside its 2026 Annual Lecture Series, where government officials, health reform advocates, and senior physicians argued that Nigeria’s health crisis is no longer a problem of ideas but of leadership, accountability, and implementation.
The roadmap outlines 24 objectives and 72 measurable outcomes across eight thematic areas, including institutional and organisational development, strategic communication and partnerships, improved patient care, clinical governance, doctors’ welfare and safety, professional collaboration, innovative financing, and monitoring and evaluation.
The event, themed “From Strategy to Impact: Repositioning the Nigerian Medical Association as the Catalyst for Health System Transformation”, reinforced the message that Nigeria’s health challenges are now a matter of leadership and accountability, not ideas.
In his welcome address, NMA President, Professor Bala Audu, described the strategic plan as a deliberate effort to reposition the NMA as a policy actor rather than a reactive pressure group.
He noted that the document is not just a roadmap, but a statement of intent, adding that it reflects extensive consultation, hard lessons from the past, and a clear-eyed understanding of the realities facing doctors and the Nigerian health system.
“No strategy succeeds at the document level. Its success will depend on ownership, alignment, and collective commitment,” he said.
