Health Minister Pate Links Non-communicable Diseases To Ageing, Lifestyle Changes

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Ali Pate, has linked the rising cases of non-communicable diseases to ageing and lifestyle changes.

He also stated that the Federal Government, Ministries, Departments and Agencies, and state governments have a lot of duties to bring health to the people, in addition to enhanced governance and leadership in the health sectors.

Pate, while speaking on Channels TV’s ‘Sunrise Daily’ on Monday, said, “Non-communicable diseases are more prominent, partly because we are ageing, partly because of lifestyle changes – that needs to be accounted for.

He noted that, “Nigeria is going through multiple transitions all at once. It is undergoing a demographic transition with a population that is youthful. At the same time, it’s ageing, and the structure of our population is changing gradually.”

He stated that the country is undergoing an epidemiological transition in which the patterns of diseases that have existed for several decades are progressively giving way to new ones.

Pate said the ministry would improve the effectiveness of health governance in Nigeria and minimise political interference.

He said, “The Federal Government, Ministries, Departments and Agencies, and state governments have a lot of responsibility to deliver health to the people. We will improve the quality of governance and leadership of hospitals.

“We will appraise the leadership of tertiary hospitals and the teaching hospitals. We will strengthen the regulatory capacity of our institutions like NAFDAC,” he said.

The minister also commended health workers for their resilience and dedication to healthcare delivery despite the country’s multiple insecurity challenges, noting that many health workers have been kidnapped while performing their duties in rural areas and other parts of Nigeria.