MDCAN unveil policy brief to transform healthcare system in Niger State

MDCAN unveil policy brief to transform healthcare system in Niger State

From Our Correspondent.

The Medical and Dental Consultant Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), Minna Branch, has unveiled a policy brief on strategic priorities and actionable solutions for improving healthcare in the state.

This is contained in a press statement signed by the Chairman  and Secretary of the Association, Dr Yahaya Mustapha Makanta and Dr Abdulmajid Ibrahim made available to Newsmen.

The statement said the brief policy was prepared following key stakeholders engagement meeting during the 2025 Annual General  Meeting and Scientific Conference of the association held in Minna on Thursday 9th August, 2025.

The statement said the brief was prepared for health stakeholders and policymakers in the state.

It said the policy brief highlights the need for a strategic overhaul of the healthcare system in Niger state, citing poor health indices, inadequate access to quality care and critcal shortage of healthcare workers.

“By implementing this strategic plan, Niger state can move beyond stop-gap measures and build a resilient healthcare system,” the statement said.

According to the statement, the association is available to serve as key partners to the state government in driving necessary policy reforms and operational changes leveraging on our expertise.

The statement outlined key recommendations for the state government to establish a health sector reform taskforce that would conduct a comprehensive review of the state human resource for health profile and develop a health workforce stabilisation framework.

The policy brief also suggested massive recruitment and retention drive to fill urgent gaps in the healthcare workforce and empower hospital management board.

The policy brief outlined empowerment of hospital management board to recruit and replace health workers within approved benchmarks.

It called for the review remuneration packages such as the introduction of rural allowance to make rural practice attractive and sustainable for healthcare workers.

The statement said key stakeholders also outlined the need to support medical education, and call on state government to support Federal University of Technology Minna in her drive to establish a Federal owned medical school in the state

The brief also outlined immediate, mid-term and long-term solutions to revitalise health care system and also called on IBBU Lapai college of health sciences to acquire accreditation and train allied health professionals.

It noted that the policy brief also outlined the need for emergency medical service and procurement of ambulances for the state.

It added that the long-term solution was to establish a state healthcare trust fund to ensure protected and predictable funding for the health sector, invest in specialisation and research focusing on addressing the state peculiar health challenges.