By Folasade Akpan
The Federal Government has announced a shift from emergency response to long-term sustainability of critical health systems strengthened under the COVID-19 Response Mechanism (C19RM) Grant as the programme closes.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, said this at the C19RM Grant Closeout Meeting on Thursday in Abuja.
Represented by the Director of Hospital Services, Dr Vivian Okafor, Pate said the grant had evolved beyond an emergency intervention into a strategic investment in Nigeria’s health system.
“The COVID-19 pandemic challenged health systems across the world and reminded us that health security is not separate from national security, economic resilience or sustainable development,” he said.
According to him, the grant strengthened surveillance systems, laboratory networks, oxygen infrastructure, infection prevention and control systems, supply chains, logistics platforms and community structures nationwide.
He said the investments enhanced Nigeria’s capacity to detect health threats early, protect healthcare workers and sustain essential services during periods of disruption.
“The most important lesson from C19RM is clear: emergency investments must leave behind sustainable systems,” Pate said.
He said that the programme’s enduring legacy included stronger institutions, improved governance systems, enhanced workforce capacity, better preparedness and deeper partnerships across the health sector.
The minister added that the grant improved accountability and performance through stronger data systems, coordination mechanisms and programme management structures.
Government, he said, was prioritising sustainability through domestic health financing reforms, including the Basic Health Care Provision Fund and initiatives under the National Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative.
“As we close this chapter, our focus must now shift decisively from implementation to sustainability,” he said.
According to him, the closeout marks a transition from emergency response to preparedness, project implementation to institutional ownership and short-term interventions to long-term resilience.
In her remarks, the Director-General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Dr Temitope Ilori, described the grant as a critical investment that strengthened Nigeria’s response to COVID-19.
Ilori said the programme improved surveillance systems, laboratory capacity, oxygen infrastructure, infection prevention and control, supply chains, community engagement and emergency preparedness.
She identified collaboration among government institutions, development partners, implementing agencies, healthcare workers and communities as one of the programme’s greatest achievements.
Also speaking, Dr Adebobola Bashorun, National Coordinator of the National HIV, Viral Hepatitis and STIs Control Programme (NASCP), said the investments had left visible footprints across the health sector.
He cited improvements in oxygen systems, genomic laboratories and pharmaceutical warehouses as evidence of the programme’s lasting impact.
“Nigeria was wise. NACA and the health system leadership chose to invest in the right direction, investing in something that leaves a footprint.
“Global Fund will not be here forever. We just need to sustain the progress we have made and ensure we are prepared for future outbreaks,” he said.
The Executive Secretary of the Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM), Mr Ibrahim Tajudeen, commended principal recipients and implementing partners for successfully delivering the programme.
Tajudeen said Nigeria benefited significantly from deliberate investments in oxygen therapy, public health laboratories and pharmaceutical-grade warehouses.
He urged stakeholders across the public and private sectors to take ownership of the investments and ensure they continued to deliver value to Nigerians.
The Global Fund Country Portfolio Manager for Nigeria, Dr Jean-Thomas Nouboussi, described C19RM as an extraordinary mobilisation of resources supporting investments in laboratories, surveillance, oxygen systems and supply chains.
“We are very proud of what has been done, but also eager to hear what worked and what must be sustained and scaled,” she said.
Nouboussi added that lessons from the programme would guide future investments in pandemic preparedness and resilient health systems in Nigeria.
Dr Yemisi Ogundare, representing Jhpiego, said the organisation was pleased to have supported documentation of lessons and achievements recorded under the grant.
She urged stakeholders to leverage the systems and structures established through the programme in responding to future disease outbreaks and health emergencies.
“The ball is now in each and every one of our courts to take these lessons and take this investment forward,” she said.
The Managing Director of Nigeria Health Watch, Mrs Vivianne Ihekweazu, emphasised that sustaining the investments was essential for stronger health systems and improved healthcare outcomes.
She said the infrastructure and systems developed under the programme should not be allowed to deteriorate following the grant’s closure.
Presentations at the meeting showed that about 345 million dollars was invested through the grant, with a 97 per cent fund absorption rate across implementing agencies.
The programme supported the installation of 73 oxygen plants, 12 cryogenic oxygen tanks, oxygen piping in 44 tertiary hospitals and the training of more than 600 biomedical engineers.
It also strengthened disease surveillance through the training of more than 40,000 surveillance officers, upgraded six zonal reference laboratories and supported the establishment of a national genomic sequencing laboratory.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the C19RM Grant is a special emergency funding initiative established by the Global Fund to help countries respond to COVID-19 while protecting essential HIV, tuberculosis and malaria services.
In Nigeria, the initiative evolved into a broader health systems strengthening and pandemic preparedness programme implemented through government agencies and development partners.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Abiemwense Moru