The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Ali Pate says the Government is engaging with the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria to address the shortage of healthcare professionals by increasing the number of medical students admitted to medical schools in the country.
He made the remark at the third edition of the ministerial press briefing series initiated by the Ministry of Information in Abuja.
He also announced the recruitment of 2,497 doctors, midwives, nurses, and Community Health Extension Workers in the last six months and is set to release N50 billion into the Basic Healthcare Fund.
He added that the current administration would soon unveil a comprehensive programme to digitise the nation’s healthcare system in the next two weeks.
Talking about expanding health insurance coverage, Pate noted that about 750,000 Nigerians had been enrolled into the National Health Insurance Scheme and vulnerable school fund.
He added that the government is committed to improving primary and tertiary healthcare services in the country.
