The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare is one of the Federal Ministries of Nigeria concerned with the formulation and implementation of policies related to health. It is headed by two ministers appointed by the president, assisted by a permanent secretary, who is a career civil servant. The current Minister of Health is Muhammad Ali Pate, the Minister of State for Health is Iziaq Adekunle Salako and the Permanent Secretary is Daju Kachollom. The ministry is at Federal Secretariat Complex, Phase III, Shehu Shagari Way, Central Business District, FCT Abuja, Nigeria.
The Ministry has several departments specializing in different aspects of health care. The Family Health department is concerned with creating awareness on reproductive, maternal and neonatal and child health, ensuring sound nutrition including infant and young child feeding, and care of the elderly and adolescents.
The department of Public Health coordinates formulation, implementation and evaluation of public health policies and guidelines. It undertakes health promotion, surveillance, prevention and control of diseases.
Dr. Kamil currently serves as the Director & Head, Department of Health Planning Research and Statistics at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. In this position, he oversees strategic health planning, policy development, and research initiatives aimed at strengthening the countryâÂÂs healthcare system.
His role emphasizes developing policies that support sustainable health improvements, enhancing data-driven decision-making, and addressing critical areas within public health. In his extensive career, Dr. Kamil has held key roles in various healthcare institutions and projects, including serving as a consultant in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Federal Medical Centre, Gusau, where he was Head of Department.
1. National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA): Focuses on primary health care.
2. National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC): Regulates food and drugs.
3. National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA): Manages health insurance. Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC): Manages disease outbreaks.
1. Primary Healthcare (PHC) Revamp: Initiated the strengthening of over 900 PHC centers nationwide, with â¦45.9 billion deployed to enhance services in rural, underserved communities.
2. Vaccination and Immunization Success: Achieved significant milestones, including 96% HPV vaccination coverage for girls and the administration of over 25 million measles doses and 22 million yellow fever vaccinations.
3. Health Workforce Expansion: Over 20,000 skilled health workers joined the public sector in the past two years to curb brain drain and improve service delivery.
4. Health Insurance and Coverage: Expanded the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) coverage, adding 4 million new enrollees, bringing the total to 20 million Nigerians.
5. Infrastructure and Technology: Executed 503 projects across 61 federal hospitals, focusing on cancer treatment and, in 2026, leading missions to introduce advanced, low-cost diagnostics
Functions of the department of Planning Research and Statistics include developing plans and budgets and monitoring their implementation, serving as Secretariat to the National Council on Health, conducting health research in collaboration with other departments and agencies, institutions and parastatals, conducting operational research and data collection, and performing various coordination functions.
The department of Hospital Services coordinates Nigeria's Teaching hospitals, Orthopedic Hospitals, Federal Medical Centres and National Eye Centers. The department processes appointment of chief medical directors and medical directors, supervises oral health research, develops policies on nursing, coordinates training programmes for nurses and monitors the midwifery service scheme in collaboration with NPHCDA.
The department of Food and Drugs Services formulates national policies, guidelines and strategies on food and drugs, and ensures ethical delivery of pharmaceutical services nationwide. The department sponsors the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, and acts as regulator through the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria, the Institute of Chartered Chemists of Nigeria and the Institute of Public Analyst of Nigeria.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control is a federal agency under the Ministry. The agency was established in 2011 with the assistance of the US Centers for Disease Control. Furthermore, there's the Health System Strengthening division whose mandate is to plan for human resource development in health.
There have been 25 ministers appointed since 1957.