Responsibilities
Ministerial Responsibilities:
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.