Senate Receives Tinubu’s 24-Bill Package to Streamline Federal Health Institutions
he Senate on Tuesday received 24 health-related bills from President Bola Tinubu, proposing amendments to existing laws and new legislation aimed at restructuring the administration of federal health institutions and regulatory bodies across Nigeria.
The bills were transmitted through a letter addressed to the Senate and read on the floor of the chamber by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during plenary.
In the letter, President Tinubu stated that the proposed laws followed a thorough review of existing health sector legislation carried out by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, in collaboration with the Minister of Health and Social Welfare. The review was subsequently approved by the Federal Executive Council.
Read Also: Adeleke Appeals to Tinubu as Osun Local Government Crisis Deepens
The President explained that the primary objective of the bills is to reduce the size of governing boards and councils in various health institutions, which he described as presently bloated, in order to enhance efficiency, effectiveness, and service delivery.
The legislation covers a broad spectrum of federal health entities, including tertiary and teaching hospitals, federal medical centres, speciality hospitals, professional regulatory councils, and key agencies.
Among the amendment bills are those affecting the National Hospital for Women and Children; Federal Medical Centres; National Specialty Hospitals Management Board; Orthopaedic Hospitals Management Board; National Eye Centre; National Ear Care Centre; Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria; Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria; National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC); and the National Blood Service Agency.
Two new bills were also included: the Records Officers Registration and Digital Health Bill 2025, and the Federal College of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Bill 2025.
President Tinubu expressed confidence that the Senate would accord the bills the necessary legislative attention to strengthen the nation’s health sector.
Following the reading of the letter, Senate President Akpabio referred all 24 bills to the Senate Committee on Rules and Business for further processing.
The transmission marks the latest in a series of efforts to reform Nigeria’s health sector governance structures, which have evolved over decades since the establishment of many federal specialised institutions in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Several of these bodies were originally set up under military and civilian administrations to address specific public health needs, such as orthopaedic care, eye and ear treatment, and women and children’s health services.
Over the years, governing boards of many federal health institutions have grown in size, often accommodating a wide range of appointees, leading to concerns about operational delays and administrative overheads. Previous administrations had initiated reviews and limited amendments to some of these laws, but comprehensive restructuring of board compositions has remained a recurring recommendation in sectoral assessments.
Read Also: APC Clears Air On Tinubu–Shettima 2027 Ticket Amid Growing Speculation
The National Health Act of 2014, signed into law during the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, provided an overarching legal framework for the health system but left the specific governance statutes of individual institutions largely untouched. Subsequent policy documents and stakeholder consultations have repeatedly highlighted the need to align board structures with modern management practices to improve responsiveness and resource utilisation.
The current proposals reflect a continuation of reform initiatives that gained momentum after the challenges exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which underscored the importance of agile and efficient health administration. By targeting board sizes and introducing provisions for digital health and complementary medicine, the bills seek to address both longstanding structural issues and emerging priorities in healthcare delivery.
The Senate Committee on Rules and Business is expected to schedule the bills for necessary legislative steps in the coming weeks.