NIGERIA—Nigeria’s new President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has appointed Dr. Salma Ibrahim Anas, the current Director of Family Health Services at the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH), as his special adviser on Health.
President Tinubu’s announcement of Dr. Salma’s appointment was accompanied by the appointment of seven others.
They include Dele Alake as Special Adviser, Special Duties, Communications, and Strategy, Mr. Yau Darazo, Special Adviser, Political and Intergovernmental Affairs, Mr. Wale Edun, Special Adviser, Monetary Policies, and Mrs. Olu Verheijen, Special Adviser, Energy.
Additionally, Mr. Zachaeus Adedeji, Special Adviser, Revenue; Mr. Nuhu Ribadu, Special Adviser, Security; and Mr. John Ugochukwu Uwajumogu, Special Adviser, Industry, Trade, and Investment.
To elaborate a Special Adviser to the President is a supporting role in the executive arm of the Government of Nigeria, whose duty is to assist the President of Nigeria in the performance of his functions.
Stakeholders in the nation’s health sector have described Mr. Tinubu’s, appointment of Dr. Salma as a welcome development, saying it signals the importance his administration may accord the health sector.
They also hailed her as now the most influential person in health in Nigeria, and that the appointee would count on assisting the new administration in implementing its healthcare development plans.
Who is Tinubu’s new Health Adviser
Dr. Salma has over twenty-five years of experience in health sector development with experience in health sector policy formulation, strategic development, resource mobilization, and implementation of various health programs at international, regional, and national levels.
The new Special Adviser’s technical skills and expertise cut across health systems strengthening with reference to improving access to quality Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child Adolescent, and Elderly Health and Nutrition (RMNCAEH+H) services.
She has also been involved in Sexual and Reproductive Rights, as well as Gender Based Violence.
She is currently the Director, of Family Health Services at the FMOH where she leads key Divisions including Reproductive Health, Child Health and Gender, Adolescent, School Health, and Elderly Care (GASHE), Nutrition, and Health Promotion Divisions.
Prior to that, she was the Director of Special Projects & National Coordinator of Health Sector Humanitarian Crisis Response at the Federal Ministry of Health, Nigeria.
At the state level, Dr. Salma has been a two-term Commissioner of Health for her state of Borno where her excellent performance accorded her many awards from various organizations including an award for the best performing Commissioner in the Northeast on Polio Eradication.
In the private sector, Dr. Salma has been the Assistant Country Representative of Reproductive Health and HIV, United Nations Funds for Population Activities (UNFPA), Nigeria, and the National Team Leader for the DFID-funded MNCH2 project.
Dr. Salma was also the Deputy Country Director, of Strengthening Nigeria’s Response on HIV/AIDS at DFID and Family Health International (FHI).
She has also served as a Country Officer on HIV/STIs for the World Health Organization in Sana’a, Yemen.
Nigeria is lagging in its healthcare mandate to its people
Nigeria is facing multiple humanitarian challenges, from across all sectors leaving the economy in dire straits and this is especially the case in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
All these have resulted in rising inflation, stagnant GDP growth, unemployment, and an unstable exchange rate.
The World Bank ranks it 42 on a scale of 100 in its universal coverage index, which indicates the availability of essential healthcare services in the participating countries.
The sub-optimal healthcare delivery is linked to the country’s rapid population growth from 122.2 million in 2000 to 211.4 million in 2022.
Moreso, Nigerian women have taken the greatest burden of the current health crises reportedly Nigeria accounts for nearly 20% of global maternal deaths.
The Lancet Nigeria Commission launched its report, Investing in Health and the Future of the Nation.
Furthermore, the report argues that health has been neglected by successive governments and consequently the citizens of Nigeria and must be recentred as a vital investment in the population and one that will reap political and economic benefits.
Moreso, Nigeria is poised to define the future of West Africa, the African continent, and the whole world.
The commission advocates for the implementation of a “One Nation, One Health” policy that prioritizes and accelerates the achievement of Universal Health Coverage, using health as a political lever.
This is why Dr. Salma’s appointments and subsequent appointments in the health sector to propel the healthcare discussion in the country towards the realization of these ambitions.
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