Health workforce migration policy takes centre stage as NCH opens in Calabar

The Federal Government on Monday said that the newly approved Health Workforce Migration Policy was now central to ongoing reforms intended to stabilise Nigeria’s health system.

Ms Kachallom Daju, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, said this at the opening of the Technical Session of the 66th Regular Meeting of the National Council on Health (NCH) ongoing in Calabar.

Daju said the migration policy was designed to manage the outflow, retention and equitable distribution of health workers.

She said that the policy formed part of the ministry’s broader plan to strengthen institutional coordination, improve accountability and expand access to quality healthcare nationwide.

According to her, the ministry is consolidating reforms in primary healthcare, supply chain management and human resources for health as it works to accelerate Nigeria’s progress towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

”The theme of this year’s Council, ”My Health, My Right: Accelerating Universal Health Coverage through Equity, Resilience and Innovation”, challenges us to put the Nigerian citizen at the centre of every decision,” she said.

Daju described the session as the “engine room” of the NCH, where evidence was interrogated and recommendations developed to guide the council’s final resolutions.

She urged members of the technical committee to ensure that all recommendations were practical, cost-effective and aligned with the Health Sector Strategic Blueprint 2023–2027.

The permanent secretary commended the Cross River Government for hosting the meeting and appreciated development partners and technical teams supporting the NCH Secretariat.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the National Council on Health was inaugurated in 1961 following the creation of the Federal Ministry of Health in 1950.

The aim is to strengthen consultation and coordination between the federal authority and the then regional governments.

With health designated as a concurrent responsibility under the Nigerian Constitution, the NCH became the unified national forum for shaping health policy and ensuring coherence in implementation across all states.

Its first meeting in 1961 deliberated on a World Health Organisation proposal on malaria eradication.

In 1962, a technical committee, made up of permanent secretaries and senior health professionals, was established to provide expert advice and technical inputs to guide the council’s decisions.

The NCH remains Nigeria’s highest policy-making body on health, bringing together federal and state leaders annually to harmonise reforms, assess sector performance and set national priorities.