The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, in collaboration with the Foundation for Empowering Persons with Disabilities through Medical Rehabilitation (FEPDMR), has inaugurated rehabilitation services at Doya Primary Healthcare Centre in Bauchi State.
The initiative is designed to improve access to rehabilitation services for persons with disabilities, older persons, trauma survivors and people living with non-communicable diseases.
Speaking at the inauguration, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, said the services would provide physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and prosthetic support to beneficiaries.
Pate, represented by Dr Baba Abubakar, Senior Special Assistant to the Minister, described the initiative as a major step towards building an inclusive, resilient, equitable and responsive health system.
“Today marks another significant milestone in our collective efforts to build a health system that is inclusive, resilient, equitable and responsive to the needs of every Nigerian.
““It is also a defining moment in our determination to ensure that rehabilitation services become an integral component of primary healthcare and are accessible to every citizen,” he said.
“Particularly persons with disabilities, older persons, trauma survivors and people living with non-communicable diseases,” he added.
The minister said the initiative aligned with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, particularly efforts to strengthen primary healthcare, expand access to quality health services and promote social inclusion.
He added that the programme complemented the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII), through which the Federal Government was repositioning the health sector to improve service delivery nationwide.
“This initiative is strengthening governance, improving health infrastructure, expanding the health workforce and delivering quality healthcare closer to the people.
“The integration of rehabilitation into primary healthcare is therefore not simply another programme of government; it is a strategic national investment in human capital development, universal health coverage and sustainable national development,” he said.
Pate said rehabilitation had become a priority in global public health due to the rising burden of disability, injuries, ageing, non-communicable diseases and other conditions requiring long-term functional support.
He said Nigeria currently had about 34,000 Primary Healthcare Centres but only about 5,000 licensed physiotherapists, creating a gap in the delivery of rehabilitation services.
According to him, the challenge required bold reforms and innovative solutions to expand the rehabilitation workforce and improve access to care across the country.
“The challenge demands bold reforms and innovative solutions,” Pate said, urging the Medical Rehabilitation Therapists Board of Nigeria to strengthen training and regulatory frameworks.
He said expanding accredited training institutions, introducing innovative educational pathways, strengthening regulation and improving workforce planning would increase the number of competent rehabilitation professionals.
Pate expressed the ministry’s readiness to collaborate with regulatory bodies, educational institutions and other stakeholders to achieve the integration of rehabilitation services into primary healthcare.
He said the ministry was pursuing additional funding to replicate the Doya model in other primary healthcare centres across Nigeria.
“In addition, the ministry is advancing the integration of rehabilitation services and rehabilitation-related assistive products into the National Health Insurance framework to reduce the financial burden and out-of-pocket expenditure,” he said.
Pate urged professional associations within the rehabilitation sector, including physiotherapists, occupational therapists, orthotists, speech and language therapists and audiologists, to work together towards improving access to care.
He commended the Medical Rehabilitation Therapists Board of Nigeria, the National Rehabilitation Technical Working Group, the World Health Organization and FEPDMR for supporting the programme.
“I also appreciate the Foundation for Empowering Persons with Disabilities through Medical Rehabilitation for its remarkable generosity in equipping the Doya Primary Healthcare Centre with rehabilitation equipment,” he said.
Earlier, the Executive Chairman of the Bauchi State Primary Healthcare Development Board, Dr Rilwanu Mohammed, commended the Federal Government’s intervention and pledged effective utilisation of the facility.
Mohammed assured that the centre would serve targeted beneficiaries, especially persons with disabilities, while contributing to improved healthcare access in the state.
Also speaking, the National Chairman of FEPDMR, Dr James Lado, said the initiative would provide relief and improve the wellbeing of persons with disabilities facing barriers to healthcare access.
Lado said persons with special needs had suffered neglect due to stigma and other challenges, adding that the new facility would help address some of those gaps.
He commended the Federal Government for providing rehabilitation services at the PHC and encouraged persons with disabilities to utilise the centre for improved health and wellbeing.
