By Professor Ali Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare.
Speaking on Politics Today on Channels Television, Pate emphasized that the initiative aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to improving maternal healthcare and ensuring financial barriers do not prevent women from accessing life-saving procedures.
The designated hospitals will be reimbursed for services rendered, forming part of broader health sector reforms in collaboration with the Health Insurance Authority to sustain the initiative.
Additionally, 18 specialized centers have been identified to provide free treatment for women suffering from vesicovaginal fistula (VVF), a childbirth-related condition that affects at least 10,000 women annually.
VVF, caused by prolonged or obstructed labor, leads to continuous urine leakage, social stigma, and family rejection. Pate acknowledged that many affected women had been unable to afford surgical repairs for years.
“For a very long time, many women suffered from that without the opportunity to have those repairs. We took it upon ourselves to ensure whoever has VVF will have a surgical repair, and that will be paid for by the government,” he stated.
