By Agency Report
The Federal Government has begun developing Nigeria’s first National Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology Strategic Plan following findings that about one in five Nigerians could benefit from rehabilitation services or assistive products.
The proposed five-year strategy, expected to run from 2027 to 2031, is designed to strengthen disability-inclusive healthcare, address gaps in rehabilitation services and expand access to assistive technology across the country.
The initiative was unveiled on Tuesday in Abuja at a three-day stakeholders’ meeting to review the zero draft of the proposed national rehabilitation and assistive technology strategic plan.
Speaking at the meeting, the Director of the Family Health Department at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Dr Ahmed Ozi, described the exercise as Nigeria’s first coordinated national effort to establish a comprehensive framework for rehabilitation services.
He said the initiative reflected the Federal Government’s commitment to achieving Universal Health Coverage by ensuring that persons with disabilities and other Nigerians requiring rehabilitation received equitable access to quality healthcare services.
According to Ozi, the strategic plan will provide a roadmap for strengthening rehabilitation programmes, improving disability-inclusive health policies and expanding access to assistive technology nationwide.
“Disability can affect anyone at any stage of life. We must therefore promote empathy, protection and support for all citizens requiring rehabilitation services,” he said.
Ozi said the proposed framework aligned with the World Health Organisation’s guidance on rehabilitation and disability-inclusive healthcare.
He added that the document remained a zero draft and called on stakeholders to provide technical input and practical recommendations that would make the final strategy comprehensive, realistic and implementable.
“The contributions of stakeholders are critical to ensuring that the strategy reflects Nigeria’s healthcare realities and provides practical solutions to the challenges affecting rehabilitation services,” he said.
Also speaking, the Head of the Georgia Society for Healthcare Engineers, Dr Umeh Sunday, said work on the proposed national strategy began after the ministry established a Rehabilitation Technical Working Group.
Sunday said Nigeria had previously operated without a federal rehabilitation policy, leaving states without a coordinated national framework to guide the planning, delivery and expansion of rehabilitation services.
He explained that the proposed strategy was aligned with the WHO Rehabilitation 2030 initiative and the World Health Assembly Rehabilitation Strategy for 2025–2035.
According to him, rehabilitation is an essential component of healthcare and should be provided whenever a patient requires it rather than being delayed until complications develop.
“Rehabilitation should be integrated into healthcare and made available when it is needed. It should not be treated as an intervention that begins only after complications arise,” he said.
Sunday said the Technical Working Group conducted nationwide assessments of rehabilitation services using WHO guidelines before preparing the preliminary draft of the strategy.
He said the document was undergoing stakeholder review to ensure that it reflected Nigeria’s rehabilitation priorities, healthcare needs and institutional realities.
“Preliminary drafts have been prepared and are undergoing stakeholder review to reflect Nigeria’s rehabilitation priorities and healthcare realities,” he said.
He added that the Abuja meeting would further refine the document before its endorsement, official inauguration and implementation across the country.
The Regional Rehabilitation Consultant for Africa, Dr Nassib Tawa, said the development of the strategy followed nearly two years of consultations, technical work and assessments of rehabilitation services nationwide.
Tawa said the national situational assessment identified major gaps, including the absence of a national rehabilitation policy, inadequate financing, poor infrastructure and shortages of trained rehabilitation professionals.
He said the assessment also revealed limited clinical spaces and inadequate capacity to meet the rehabilitation needs of Nigerians.
According to him, about one in five Nigerians could benefit from rehabilitation services or assistive products, highlighting the need for a coordinated national response.
“The assessment identified major challenges, including the absence of a national rehabilitation policy and inadequate financing.
“It also revealed infrastructure deficits, limited clinical spaces and shortages of trained rehabilitation professionals nationwide,” he said.
Tawa said the proposed 2027–2031 strategic plan would set national priorities and provide a framework for improving rehabilitation services within a realistic and achievable implementation period.
He explained that the strategy would outline the country’s vision, mission, objectives, targets and implementation mechanisms for rehabilitation and assistive technology services.
According to him, five technical task teams will review key workstreams before their recommendations are consolidated into the final draft.
“The strategy will promote a shared national understanding of quality rehabilitation and ensure that every Nigerian requiring such services can benefit,” Tawa said.
He added that the plan would strengthen partnerships and coordination among government institutions, healthcare providers, development partners and other stakeholders.
The proposed strategy is also expected to improve financing, expand rehabilitation infrastructure, address workforce shortages and increase access to assistive technology across the country.
Stakeholders at the meeting were urged to make meaningful contributions to ensure that the final document provides a practical framework for improving rehabilitation outcomes and building a more inclusive healthcare system.
