The Federal Ministry of Health is one of the Federal Ministries of Nigeria concerned with the formulation and implementation of policies related to health. It is headed by a Minister appointed by the President, assisted by a Permanent Secretary, who is a career civil servant. The current Minister of Health is Prof. Isaac Folorunso Adewole.
Departments
The Ministry has several departments specializing in different aspects of health care. The Family Health department is concerned with creating awareness on Reproductive, Maternal 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.
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 supervises 53 Federal Tertiary Hospitals – 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 Pharmacist Council of Nigeria, the Institute of Chartered Chemist 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 2010 with the assistance of the US Centers for Disease Control.