Names of all the Current Commissioners for Health in the 36 states of Nigeria (2020)….including the constitutional responsibilities or duties or function of a health commissioner.
In this era of coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria, apart from the governors, the commissioners for health are the busiest and the most sought after public servants in the 36 states of Nigeria.
So I decided to to a quick draft of the current names of the different health commissioners and their state in Nigeria including their statutory role in promoting the health and well being of the state.
Names of all the Current Commissioners for Health in the 36 states of Nigeria (2020)
- Abia State : John Ahukanna
- Adamawa : Professor Abdullahi Isa
- Akwa Ibom : Dr Dominic Ukpong
- Anambra : Joe Akabuike
- Bauchi: Dr Zuwaira Ibrahim
- Bayelsa: Dr Inodu Akpoku
- Benue: Dr. Sunday Ongbabo
- Borno : Dr. Salisu Kwaya-Bura
- Cross River : Dr Betta Edu
- Delta : Mordi Ononye
- Ebonyi : Dr Daniel Umezurike
- Edo : Dr. Patrick Okundia
- Ekiti : Dr Mojisola Yahaya-Kolade
- Enugu: Emmanuel Obi
- Gombe: Dr. Kennedy Ishaya
- Imo : Dr (Mrs) Damaris Osunkwo
- Jigawa : Dr. Abba Umar Zakari
- Kaduna: Dr Amina Baloni
- Kano: Dr. Aminu Ibrahim Tsanyawa
- Katsina: Yakubu Nuhu Danja
- Kebbi : Jafaru Muhammad
- Kogi : Dr Saka Audu
- Kwara : Dr Raji AbdulRazaq
- Lagos : Prof Akin Abayomi
- Nassarawa: Dr. Ahmed B. Yahaya
- Niger: Dr Mustapha Jibrin
- Ogun : Dr. Tomi Coker
- Ondo: Dr. Adegbenro Oluropo Wahab
- Osun: Dr. Isamotu Rafiu Olasunkanmi
- Oyo: Dr Bashir Bello
- Plateau: Dr Nimkong Ndam
- Rivers: Professor Princewill Chike
- Sokoto: Dr Ali Inname
- Taraba : Dr Innocent Vakkaiobe
- Yobe: Dr. Muhammad Lawan Gana
- Zamfara: (Alhaji) Dr. Yahaya Kanoma
Senior Minister of Health: Dr Osagie Ehanire
Minister of State for Health: (Senator) Dr. Adeleke Olorunnimbe Mamora
Duties/Responsibilities of a Commissioner for Health in Nigeria
Under the provisions of the Health Sector Reform Law 2006, the Ministry of Health is responsible for the following functions:
- Health policy/plan formulation and legislation
- Regulatory functions, including quality assurance (setting of standards for personnel, infrastructure and services for registration of both public and private health institutions operating in the State), monitoring and evaluation.
- Development and implementation of strategies for Health Sector Reform, including promotion of public-private partnership in health.
- Development of capacity for generation and utilization of evidence-based data and information for health policy, strategy and plan development/implementation (Health Management Information System).
- Health manpower development (medical, nursing and allied training institutions) and planning including enhancement of human resource, administrative and financial management capacity of health and health-related professionals.
- Primary Health Care including:
-Strengthening of capacity of local governments to manage health programs and plans
-Strengthening of programs and initiatives for monitoring/control/elimination/ eradication of specific preventable diseases (malaria; tuberculosis; HIV/AIDS; Vaccine Preventable Diseases e.g. measles, tetanus, poliomyelitis)
-Improvement of access to reproductive/sexual health services and information including Family Planning
-Encouragement and facilitation of ownership, responsibility and accountability of health programs, plans and actions at the community level
-Rural Health Program
-Protective health and nutrition, including food control standards
- Supervision and control of all Health facilities in the State in order to ensure a minimum standard in all public and private health facilities;
- Supervision and control of all Hospital
- Governing Boards and Government Health Bodies and Agencies;
- Approval of regulations and subsidiary legislation;
- Approval of long-term plans and variations of such plans;
- Development of management, financial guidelines and performance standards for internal control of public hospitals;
- Developing performance standards for internal control of Public Hospitals;
- Policy approval of rate and scale of charges for services rendered to the public by the Hospital Governing Boards;
- Recommendation for capital and operating budgets for Hospitals Governing Boards (which includes recommendation for major adjustments, increase in salaries, allowances and fringe benefits for hospital employees);
- Elevating the quality of health practice in the professional disciplines through the advancement of appropriate standards and research priorities;
- Collation and analysis of monthly medical statistical data (attendance, morbidity, mortality and utilization of services) from Hospital Governing Boards;
- Obtaining annual audited accounts of hospitals and Hospital Governing Boards within three months after the end of preceding financial year;
- Co-ordination and integration of the various hospital services at all levels in the State to ensure they conform with the State health policies and programs; and
- Maximizing the effective use of resources within the health sector in the State.
Industrial and Occupational Health.
Staff Clinic and pre-employment health screening. - Design and implement community and school-based Information, Education and Communication (IEC) packages on the promotion of healthy lifestyles, prevention of common infectious and non-communicable diseases, and consumers’ knowledge and awareness of their right to quality care and personal obligation to better health.
School Health. - Monitor and control trends of diseases (communicable and non-communicable) at the community and State levels.
Institutionalize an operational system to facilitate early/timely detection, diagnosis and response to epidemics, emergencies and disasters at the State and community levels (Emergency Preparedness). - Design and implement facility development program.
- Medical and Hospital Services
- Establish a sustainable drug management system, promote essential drug policy and discourage use of counterfeit, spurious and substandard drugs including institutionalization of a drug quality assurance across the entire drug chain.
- Strengthen the capacity of the Ministry to conduct health surveys and research, including development, updating and enforcement of protocol for conduct of health surveys and research by researchers.
- Integration of traditional medicine, based on proven efficacy, into the State’s health care system at both community and provincial levels
- Liaise with the Federal Ministry of Health and other relevant stakeholders on policy formulation and implementation.
- Establish a forum for effective donor interaction and coordination.
- Representation on statutory bodies such as:
-Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria
-Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria
-Pharmacists Council of Nigeria
-Lagos University Teaching Hospital Board
-Industrial and Safety Council of Nigeria.
The functions of a health commissioner was source from the Lagos State Website.
Image Credit: Dreamtime
