FG Reaffirms Commitment To Strengthening Biomedical Engineering In Nigeria’s Health Sector
Abuja, Nigeria – The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to strengthening biomedical engineering capacity across healthcare institutions in Nigeria as part of efforts to build a resilient, technology-driven health system.
The Honourable Minister of State for Health, represented by his Special Assistant, Dr. Babatunde, made this known at the opening ceremony of the 5-day Capacity Building Workshop for Biomedical Engineers in Healthcare Institutions in Nigeria, held at the National Hospital, Abuja.
The workshop, enabled by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and collaboratively coordinated by Healthy Living Communications Limited in partnership with the College of Biomedical Engineering and Technology (CBET), underscores the importance of public-private collaboration in advancing Nigeria’s healthcare infrastructure.
Describing the initiative as a strong example of effective partnership, the Minister emphasized that government cannot operate in isolation and remains open to collaborations that align with its renewed determination to modernize health infrastructure and ensure safe, effective, and sustainable healthcare delivery for all Nigerians.
He highlighted the critical role of biomedical engineers and technicians in ensuring optimal functionality of medical equipment used for diagnosis, treatment, and patient monitoring. According to him, their importance became more evident during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, when the performance of life-saving equipment relied heavily on skilled technical expertise.
The Minister noted that inadequate structured capacity-building programmes and limited partnerships in the past contributed to weak maintenance culture and frequent equipment downtime in health facilities nationwide.
“This workshop seeks to reawaken professional consciousness, refresh technical competencies, and reposition biomedical engineers to safeguard Nigeria’s expanding stock of health assets,” he stated.
As part of ongoing reforms, the Federal Government has strengthened biomedical engineering training through five Schools of Biomedical Engineering hosted at Federal Teaching Hospitals, including:
University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH)
Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH)
Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH)
University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH)
University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH)
Recent interventions by the Ministry include the upgrade of teaching facilities with modern equipment and simulation laboratories, retraining and exchange programmes for staff to promote global best practices, and the development of a National Biomedical Equipment Maintenance Framework to ensure planned preventive maintenance across tertiary health facilities.
In addition, the Ministry has launched a National Biomedical Equipment Audit to create a comprehensive inventory of high-end medical equipment in Federal Teaching Hospitals and Federal Medical Centres, focusing on maintenance status and identified capacity gaps.
These measures form part of the broader Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative aimed at strengthening infrastructure, digitalization, and workforce capacity for sustainable service delivery.
The Minister expressed confidence that the workshop would complement these national reforms by equipping participants with both theoretical and hands-on maintenance skills. He urged Chief Medical Directors, Medical Directors, and Heads of Biomedical Engineering Units to ensure that knowledge acquired is cascaded within their institutions to promote innovation, cost-effective maintenance culture, and reduced equipment downtime.
He further linked the initiative to the Ministry’s 4-Point Agenda, particularly the goal of unlocking the health value chain through medical industrialization. Building local technical expertise, he noted, would help prolong the lifespan of medical equipment and reduce excessive dependence on imports.
Reaffirming government’s support, the Minister assured stakeholders of continued provision of enabling policies and institutional backing to elevate biomedical engineering practice in Nigeria to global standards. He added that outcome reports from the workshop would be closely monitored, with actionable recommendations implemented where necessary.
He commended the organizers, facilitators, stakeholders, and international partners for their commitment and wished participants a productive and impactful training experience.
