The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC) have launched a Joint Task Team to fight corruption and foster accountability in Nigeria’s health sector.
The initiative aims at safeguarding public investments in health and at ensuring that the resources allocated to the sector translate into measurable improvements in health outcomes.
While inaugurating the team in Abuja, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate said; “every naira that is invested in healthcare must yield measurable value to Nigerians.
“Corruption in the health sector could have an immediate effect on human lives,” Pate warned.
When those resources are diverted, the cost is not abstract, it is a medicine that never comes, equipment that is not there when needed, or a service that is lacking. Corruption can kill in this sector.” he said.
The Minister said the Joint Task Team will identify institutional vulnerabilities, close loopholes and prevent diversion or misuse of resources before they impact on the healthcare delivery.
“The initiative would enhance accountability in health financing, procurement, infrastructure, medicines and service delivery,” he said.
774 Performance and Financial Management Officers have already been deployed under BHCPF 2.0 to independently verify the receipt and utilization of funds across the 774 Local Government Areas,” he said.
The ministry was also using verified National Identification Numbers to authenticate beneficiaries, reduce duplication and strengthen transparency and traceability in the management of health resources, Pate said.
The team, he said, was a “instrument for institutional change” and its recommendations should lead to practical and sustainable reforms that would outlive the life of the team.
Pate encouraged team members to identify vulnerabilities, suggest practical safeguards and make sure that their work leads to lasting institutional reforms.
Speaking on behalf of the ICPC Chairman, Dr Musa Aliyu, the Executive Secretary of the commission, Mr Clifford Oparaodu, said the initiative was a practical expression of the Memorandum of Understanding between the two institutions.
Aliyu said, “The collaboration will enhance preventive oversight and assist in addressing vulnerabilities within the health sector before they lead to losses.
“The ICPC’s preventive approach is more relevant in healthcare because corruption is not just measured by financial loss but by its impact on maternal and infant mortality, immunization, preventable diseases and access to affordable healthcare,” he said.
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“Corruption in the health sector is not just measured in financial losses or accounting irregularities,” Aliyu said, “but its consequences were reflected in health outcomes.
Daju Kachollom, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry said effective stewardship of health resources was key to achieving improved health outcomes.
She said the Joint Task Team would review the use of the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund after every quarterly disbursement.
Kachollom said the two-year agreement, renewable, would incorporate the team into the ministry’s structures.
She said the team would be co-chaired by the Director of Hospital Services and a Director of ICPC.
Pate urged team members to identify vulnerabilities, recommend practical safeguards, and ensure their work led to lasting institutional reforms.
