Professor Ali Pate calls for inclusive Health Policies

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Ali Pate, has emphasized the need for Nigeria’s health policies to be grounded in the everyday experiences and voices of local communities.

At the 10th anniversary of the Stella Adadevoh (DRASA) Health Trust, Professor Pate, represented by Director of Port Health Services, Dr Nse Akpan, stressed the importance of grassroots engagement in shaping effective health reforms.

“Health policies will only succeed if they are designed around the needs, values, and lived experiences of people at the grassroots,” he said. “Top-down strategies often fail because they overlook the realities in our communities, marketplaces, farms, schools, churches, mosques, and clinics.” he stated.

Prof Pate warned against designing policies in isolation, noting that without meaningful community involvement, such efforts would have little real-world impact.

Highlighting the importance of inclusivity, he called for the active participation of youth, women, and marginalized groups in public health discussions.

“Inclusion isn’t just a matter of fairness, it’s a matter of effectiveness. Our policies must work where people live, learn, and grow.” The Minister stated.

The minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to collaborating with the private sector, civil society, and development partners to strengthen the country’s health security systems.

The Managing Director of DRASA Health Trust, Dr Niniola Williams revealed that DRASA would open an academy where it would train and certified 50,000 health workers in infection prevention and control.

“We will expand our health champions network to 500,000 people across schools, markets, faith institutions and the borders that we work in. We will also establishment centres of excellence across all six geopolitical zones,“ she said.

In July 2014, when Liberian-American Patrick Sawyer arrived in Lagos showing Ebola symptoms, Dr Adadevoh promptly identified the threat and insisted he be quarantined despite external pressure.

Her decisive action prevented a nationwide outbreak and saved countless lives. Sadly, she contracted the virus and died on August 19, 2014.

Over the past 10 years, DRASA has trained thousands of health workers, improved infection prevention and control (IPC) practices, and supported Nigeria’s readiness for disease outbreaks.

Its model aligns with the global “One Health” approach, connecting human, animal and environmental health.

Editing Nachaida Yuguda and Adeniyi Bakare