Stakeholders await Pate’s successor as minister of state

[Mirror]

Nigerians, including President Goodluck Jonathan were recently caught unawares with the sudden resignation of Minister of State for Health, Dr. Ali Pate when he resigned before the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja.

He resigned after five years of service in two major offices. First, he was the Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, NPHCDA, between 2008 and 2011 when he was appointed Minister of State for Health, a portfolio he kept until he exited last month.

His resignation was due to his professorial appointment at the Duke University's Global Health Institute in the United States, in which he will be involved in an Africa-wide initiative and also serve as senior adviser to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation based in Washington, DC.

Though unlike some others before him, whose exit from power promptly attracted condemnations from members of the public, Pate left honourably and little or nothing has trailed his resignation.

Stakeholders in the health sector and those on the corridors of power across the country are eager to know who succeeds the former minister.

As a Minister of State, Pate was responsible for the administration of primary health care across the country. Apart from his affable and humble disposition, one thing defined his leadership at the time: he travelled across the length and breadth of the country, sensitizing the public on basic health.

Pate almost succeeded in total elimination of polio in Nigeria; his term in office witnessed increased population immunity from 44 percent in 2008 to almost 90 percent as at 2013. He introduced various innovations to help reduce maternal and child mortality in Nigeria which include Midwives Service Scheme and the SURE-P MCH Programme/Social Safety net Conditional Cash Transfer mechanism and Saving One Million Lives Initiative. He also spear-headed the 'care-under-one-roof ' policy approved in 2011.

He ensured improved routine immunization and introduction of new vaccines for meningitis, pentavalent and pneumococcal disease.

There are speculations that the Minister of State might not come from Bauchi to succeed Pate. While it is expected the Federal Government nominate another Minister from the state, it is unlikely the would-be Minister hold that portfolio. Unfortunately too, none of the famous figures from the major parastatals in the health sector, especially in Abuja, comes from Bauchi. Will President Jonathan carry out a minor cabinet reshuffle to pave way for Minister of State for Health among the serving Ministers? Or would another Minister of State emerge from Bauchi State?

In a statement signed by the Minister and made available to National Mirror, Dr Pate said of his resignation: "Some may recall my appointment from the World Bank Group in 2008 to come back home after 15 years in the Diaspora to join the public service, which I gladly accepted. In the last 5 years, I have had the rare privilege to serve first as Chief Executive of the NPHCDA and for these past 2 years as cabinet Minister with portfolio as Minister of State in the Federal Ministry of Health. In these two capacities, under Mr. President's leadership, and in collaboration with several stakeholders, including Ministers, permanent secretaries, other chief executives, civil servants especially staff of the FMOH and NPHCDA, development partners, members of the Presidential Task Force on Polio Eradication, Traditional leaders and leaders in the Nigerian private sector and the media; together we made significant progress in a few areas within the health sector in Nigeria.

National Mirror