FG, N’Assembly target N70bn to end noma disease, boost oral healthcare

The Federal Government, through the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, has called on state governments and development partners to “mobilise N70bn over the next five years to eliminate noma and improve access to oral healthcare”, as it unveiled a national strategic plan aimed at preventing the disease and expanding treatment services across Nigeria.

The five-year National Oral Health Strategic Plan (2026–2030), launched by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, seeks to integrate oral healthcare into primary healthcare delivery, strengthen early diagnosis and treatment, and improve access to dental services, particularly for children and other vulnerable populations.

The initiative also received the backing of the National Assembly, which pledged legislative and financial support for its implementation, including stronger primary healthcare services, routine oral health screening and improved surveillance of noma.

Speaking at the 2026 Oral Health Week, National Noma Day and Scientific Conference in Abuja on Monday, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, said the framework represented a shift from a predominantly curative approach to preventive oral healthcare.

The conference was themed, “Integrating Noma into Primary Healthcare: From Comprehensive Management to Prevention.”

Salako said, “The strategic plan was developed in consultation with the Nigerian Dental Association and other stakeholders to strengthen health promotion, early detection and access to quality oral healthcare.”

He described noma as a rapidly progressing and potentially fatal disease that destroys facial tissues, noting that it could begin as a seemingly minor gum infection but develop into devastating complications within days if not promptly treated.

According to the minister, “the disease disproportionately affects children living in poverty, particularly those suffering from malnutrition and inadequate access to healthcare.”

Survivors often experience severe facial disfigurement, disabilities and social stigma.

He welcomed the World Health Organisation’s recognition of noma as a Neglected Tropical Disease, saying the designation had helped draw international attention to a condition that had historically received inadequate institutional attention.

Salako said the government was strengthening community-level interventions by training frontline health workers, volunteers and traditional birth attendants to recognise early symptoms and refer suspected cases for immediate treatment.

He identified the Noma Children’s Hospital in Sokoto and the national treatment facility in Abuja as important components of the country’s response, noting that the facilities provided free reconstructive surgery, rehabilitation and psychosocial support to affected children.

The minister added that vulnerable households affected by noma were also being connected to social protection programmes to reduce the financial burden of prolonged treatment and rehabilitation.

Expressing concern about access to dental services, Salako disclosed that more than 80 per cent of Nigerians had never visited a dentist, while the country’s dentist-to-population ratio stood at approximately one to 38,000.

He said the government was leveraging the Basic Health Care Provision Fund and other sector-wide initiatives to improve dental infrastructure, recruit and deploy more personnel, and strengthen school-based oral health programmes.

The Senate Committee on Health also pledged legislative and financial support for the campaign, describing noma as a preventable and treatable disease that should no longer claim the lives of Nigerian children.

The committee, chaired by Senator Ipalibo Harry-Banigo, said the National Assembly was committed to strengthening primary healthcare delivery and ensuring that oral health became an integral part of routine healthcare services.

It disclosed that funding for the Basic Health Care Provision Fund had been increased from one to two per cent to strengthen frontline health services and community-level interventions.

The committee identified the Noma Children’s Hospital in Sokoto, the Intercountry Centre in Jos and the ongoing retrofitting of dental centres in federal university teaching hospitals as critical components of the national response.

It added that legislative measures were being pursued to institutionalise routine oral health screenings, early diagnosis of dental infections and specialised training in reconstructive surgery.

The lawmakers also promised stronger oversight to ensure that funds appropriated for oral healthcare translated into improved services for affected children and families across the six geopolitical zones.

They called for increased collaboration among state governments, religious leaders, development partners and the media to tackle stigma, improve child nutrition and intensify community awareness.

In a keynote address, Dr Adebimpe Adebiyi paid tribute to the late founder of Hilfsaktion Noma, Mama Ute Winkler-Stumpf, for her contribution to the treatment and rehabilitation of children affected by the disease.

Adebiyi recalled that the humanitarian organisation worked with the World Health Organisation and Nigerian authorities to establish treatment infrastructure, including the Noma Centre in Abuja, where several children had benefited from free reconstructive surgeries.

She said the late humanitarian’s legacy should inspire stakeholders to move beyond sympathy and isolated clinical interventions towards sustainable systems prioritising prevention, early diagnosis and community awareness.

Similarly, the Country Representative of Médecins Sans Frontières, Dr Aldikhari Ahmed, called for stronger community-based surveillance and early detection, warning that delays in identifying noma could result in severe facial disfigurement, disability and death.

Ahmed commended the Federal Government for its efforts to integrate noma into primary healthcare guidelines and include the disease in the Surveillance Outbreak Response Management and Analysis System.

He, however, stressed that the initiatives must be backed by sustained funding, functional surveillance systems and effective implementation.

Highlighting MSF’s partnership with the Federal Ministry of Health and the Sokoto State Ministry of Health at the Noma Children’s Hospital, Ahmed said the organisation had supported comprehensive treatment at the facility since 2014.

He disclosed that the collaboration had facilitated more than 1,759 major reconstructive surgeries for 1,174 patients through 35 surgical missions.

In 2026 alone, he said, 114 surgeries had been performed on 96 patients, while 28 Nigerian surgeons and 14 anaesthetists had received specialist training through the partnership.

He urged the government and development partners to invest deliberately in implementing the National Oral Health Strategic Plan, insisting that no child should suffer or die from a preventable and treatable disease.

The World Health Organisation Country Representative in Nigeria, Dr Pavel Ursu, represented by Dr Victor, also called for the integration of noma prevention and comprehensive management into routine primary healthcare services.

Ursu noted that noma primarily affected malnourished children between the ages of two and six, particularly those living in impoverished communities, but stressed that early detection and treatment could prevent its devastating consequences.

He emphasised the need to strengthen the capacity of frontline health workers, improve disease surveillance and provide psychosocial support to survivors and their families.

Earlier, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Daju Kachollom, represented by her Senior Technical Assistant, Dr Dogara Okara, said severe oral diseases, including noma, continued to impose significant burdens on vulnerable individuals, families and the country’s healthcare system.

Noma, also known as cancrum oris, is a severe gangrenous disease that destroys the tissues of the mouth and face. It predominantly affects children between the ages of two and six who experience malnutrition, poor oral hygiene, weakened immunity and extreme poverty.

The disease often begins with gum inflammation and can rapidly progress to destroy facial tissues and bones.