FG, experts chart new path for rehabilitation policy 

Stakeholders in the health sector have called for urgent and coordinated reforms to improve rehabilitation services after an assessment exposed significant gaps in the nation’s rehabilitation system. They made the call in a communique on Wednesday signed by Rehabilitation Technical Group issued after a National Stakeholderers’ Validation meeting in Abuja. The meeting was on the […]

Stakeholders in the health sector have called for urgent and coordinated reforms to improve rehabilitation services after an assessment exposed significant gaps in the nation’s rehabilitation system.

They made the call in a communique on Wednesday signed by Rehabilitation Technical Group issued after a National Stakeholderers’ Validation meeting in Abuja.

The meeting was on the implementation of Rehabilitation 2030 through the World Health Organisation (WHO) Systematic Assessment of Rehabilitation Situation (STARS) and Rehabilitation Maturity Model (RMM).

The meeting convened representatives from ministries, agencies, academia, development partners, professional bodies and service providers to assess rehabilitation services in Nigeria.

According to the communiqué, stakeholders noted that rehabilitation remains a critical component of health systems strengthening and an essential pathway towards achieving universal health coverage.

The communiqué stated that the assessment, conducted in line with the WHO Rehabilitation 2030 Call for Action and the African Regional Rehabilitation Strategy (2025–2035), evaluated rehabilitation capacity, performance and system maturity across six health system domains.

Findings from the assessment showed that none of the 50 assessed components was performing at an optimal level, while only two components demonstrated strong performance.

It added that 16 components were moderately developed and required strengthening, while 32 components were assessed as performing at a very low level, requiring urgent establishment and system-wide intervention.

Stakeholders identified weak governance structures, inadequate financing, poor data systems, workforce shortages, uneven infrastructure distribution and limited accessibility of rehabilitation services as some of the major challenges affecting the sector.

The communiqué noted that rehabilitation was not explicitly reflected in national health policies and that leadership and coordination mechanisms remained weak, with current efforts largely driven by the MRTB to be reconsidered.

Participants noted the absence of a dedicated rehabilitation budget, while limited insurance coverage forces most Nigerians to rely on out-of-pocket payments for rehabilitation services.

The meeting further revealed that rehabilitation data was not routinely captured within the national health information system, thereby limiting evidence-based planning and decision-making.

Stakeholders also expressed concern over shortages of rehabilitation professionals, limited training institutions and poor workforce distribution, particularly at the primary healthcare level.

On service accessibility, participants noted that rehabilitation services remained concentrated in a few tertiary facilities, while community-based rehabilitation services were largely absent in the public sector.

The communiqué further highlighted low awareness and acceptability of rehabilitation services among both health personnel and communities, affecting referrals and service utilisation.

Despite the challenges, stakeholders acknowledged areas of moderate progress, including patient-centred rehabilitation services, existing referral systems in some acute settings and the gradual alignment of training programmes with global standards.

As part of agreed next steps, stakeholders resolved that a comprehensive report of the validation meeting should be produced within two weeks, while a clean draft of the STARS report would be finalised.

They added that a revised report incorporating stakeholder inputs would be submitted to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the MRTB by June 9.

The meeting also agreed that consultations would continue through virtual and physical stakeholder engagements to support refinement of the report and the development of a National Rehabilitation Policy.

Stakeholders further emphasised the need for an implementation plan backed by a costed framework for resource mobilisation, alongside the establishment of monitoring and evaluation systems to track progress.

They also called for adoption of rehabilitation reforms at state level based on local needs, as well as endorsement through the National Council on Health.

The stakeholders stressed the need for sustained advocacy, broader stakeholder engagement and stronger national ownership to maintain momentum towards improving rehabilitation services across Nigeria. (NAN)