The World Health Organization (WHO) has emphasized the critical role of women in improving disease detection and response systems across Nigeria’s healthcare sector.
In a statement released in New York, the UN health agency noted that women’s leadership and participation in healthcare delivery have significantly enhanced early disease reporting, vaccination coverage, and community trust.
According to WHO, women working at the grassroots level are central to Nigeria’s public health response, particularly in rural and underserved communities where access to healthcare remains limited.
The agency illustrated this impact with the experience of Hauwa Mohammed, a resident of Angwan Gangaran Tudu in Keffi, Nasarawa State. She recounted how women health workers promptly responded when her child developed symptoms, guiding her family toward timely medical care.
WHO stated that similar interventions are being replicated nationwide, with women often acting as first responders during disease outbreaks. Their efforts include educating families, dispelling misinformation, and linking communities to healthcare services.
When measles cases emerged in parts of Nasarawa State, women health workers mobilized quickly. They conducted door-to-door sensitization campaigns, encouraged early symptom reporting, and directed residents to appropriate care facilities.
These interventions contributed to improved outbreak control and a noticeable reduction in reported measles cases in affected areas.
Nigeria, with an estimated population of over 220 million people, relies heavily on community health workers—many of whom are women—to deliver essential services. These include maternal and child healthcare, disease surveillance, and immunization programs.
Women serve across multiple levels of the health system, including clinics, laboratories, emergency operations centres, and remote communities, supporting national frameworks such as the National Strategic Health Development Plan II and initiatives by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency.
WHO Representative in Nigeria, Dr Pavel Ursu, highlighted that empowering women in leadership roles leads to more responsive and effective healthcare systems.
Similarly, Dr Grace Amos Tsakpa, State Epidemiologist at the Nasarawa State Ministry of Health, noted that strengthening women’s leadership is essential for building resilient health systems that can serve diverse communities.
Across states like Borno, Kano, and Rivers, women health workers continue to improve disease surveillance, increase vaccination uptake, and build public confidence in health services—even in conflict-affected and hard-to-reach areas.
Despite these gains, WHO acknowledged that challenges persist, particularly in expanding women’s access to leadership positions, training opportunities, and career development within the health sector.
The organization called on policymakers, development partners, and donors to invest in gender-inclusive health systems and strengthen community-based surveillance efforts.
WHO also urged communities to prioritize early disease reporting and ensure children receive routine immunizations to prevent outbreaks.
The agency concluded that women are not only delivering healthcare services in Nigeria but are also shaping more efficient, trusted, and life-saving public health responses.
