Towards President Bola Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda, the Coordinating Minister of Health & Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Ali Pate has declared that the implementation of the Performance Management System ( PMS) in the health sector will save lives and enhance the well-being of Nigerians.
He made the remark at the opening ceremony of 2024 Ministerial Leadership Retreat On Performance Management Systems organized by the Federal Ministry of Health & Social Welfare in Bauchi State.
Addressing participants and stakeholders from across Agencies and Parastatals of the Ministry nationwide; Prof Pate highlighted the importance of implementing PMS towards ensuring a better - performing health system for the benefit of Nigerians.
According to a statement by Alaba Balogun, Head, Information & PR in the ministry, the Minister said ''The implementation of the new Performance Management System PMS by the Federal Government significantly complements our effort toward health sector reforms.
"This system provides a robust framework that ensures all health MDAs focus and align their resources - human, material, financial, and more - towards achieving the strategic goals and objectives of the Health Sector'', the Coordinating Minister explained.
To this end, Prof Pate asserted that the Ministry made a critical decision to implement its Health Sector Strategic Blueprint through the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative using a Sector -Wide Approach SWAp.
He emphasized that the SWAp initiative underscored the Ministry's deliberate plan for proper coordination of resources to achieve desired objectives for the Health sector.
He said ''This approach aims to address existing weaknesses in health financing and resource coordination, ensuring that sector - wide resources from federal and state governments and development partners are well coordinated and directed towards addressing priority gaps.
''The Retreat serves as the culmination of all performance planning activities facilitated by the Department of Health Planning, Research and Statistics (DPHRS) ensuring that all Health Sector MDAs are adequately prepared for quality implementation of government's priorities and sector initiatives'', the Coordinating Minister stated
Declaring the retreat open, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, Executive Governor Bauchi State; represented by the Deputy Governor, Rt. Honourable Muhammad Auwal Jatau; appreciated efforts of stakeholders in the health sector such as World Health Organization, UNICEF, USAID and Global Fund for their unwavering support in strengthening the health sector.
He affirmed the retreat as a testament of the Federal Government's commitment to improving healthcare in the country.
Expressing delight for selecting Bauchi State for PMS retreat, the Executive Governor seized the opportunity to inform participants of efforts made by his administration in providing physical infrastructure for quality health care and recruiting 3000 health workers to address the challenge of shortage of health workers in the State.
Speaking earlier, the Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Health & Social Welfare, Daju Kachollomi, described the PMS as being more than a tool for appraising performance.
She said that it is a vital mechanism for improving governance, fostering transparency, and ensuring that every employee within the Ministry is fully engaged in the collective goal of service delivery.
''As we proceed with this retreat, I am confident that our discussions and deliberations will strengthen our resolve to build a high- performing health sector'', the Permanent Secretry added.