The federal government on Thursday graduated the first cohort of youth health fellows in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), under an initiative introduced by President Bola Tinubu to revitalise the health sector.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event also featured the onboarding of the second cohort (2.0), with the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, and other dignitaries in attendance.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Pate said the initiative is a strategic effort to groom young and vibrant leaders who would drive the administration’s health sector transformation agenda across the country’s Local Government Areas (LGAs).
He explained that the programme was designed to equip and prepare selected youths from all 774 LGAs to serve as ambassadors of health sector reforms in their communities.
According to him, the first FCT cohort has successfully completed its assignment, demonstrating the impact of the initiative.
“We are inaugurating the second cohort and encouraging them to build on the successes of their predecessors,” he said.
“The fellows have been trained, equipped, coached, and mentored, and they have delivered impressive results.”
Mr Pate added that the fellows were selected purely on merit and deployed nationwide to support ongoing health sector reforms.
He also commended state governments across the federation for organising similar graduation ceremonies for fellows drawn from their respective LGAs.
In his remarks, Muyi Aina, executive director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), urged the fellows to remain proactive in executing their responsibilities.
He highlighted their roles to include mobilising community resources for Primary Healthcare Centres (PHC), advocating increased investment, supporting ambulance services, and leveraging technology, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), to improve healthcare access.
Mr Aina noted that the initiative is already yielding positive results and would continue to strengthen healthcare delivery at the grassroots.
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Also speaking, Adedolapo Fasawe, FCT Mandate Secretary for Health, said the fellows were carefully selected on merit across the six Area Councils of the FCT.
Ms Fasawe explained that their primary role is to bridge the gap between PHC facilities and communities, as well as between citizens and government.
She added that the fellows were trained to support healthcare delivery, mentor community members, and improve accessibility, affordability, and quality of services at PHC centres.
She reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to making healthcare more accessible and efficient for Nigerians through the initiative.
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