The Federal Government and a coalition of health stakeholders in Nigeria have agreed to overhaul the country’s rehabilitation system after a comprehensive national assessment exposed systemic weaknesses across the sector. The resolution emerged from a National Stakeholders’ Validation Meeting held in Abuja, which reviewed the implementation of the WHO‑led Rehabilitation 2030 agenda through the Systematic Assessment of Rehabilitation Situation (STARS) and the Rehabilitation Maturity Model.
Representatives from ministries, academic institutions, development partners, professional bodies and service providers convened to evaluate Nigeria’s rehabilitation capacity against six health‑system domains identified by the WHO. The assessment found that none of the 50 components examined operated at an optimal level; only two were rated strong, 16 were moderately developed and 32 performed at a “very low” level, indicating urgent need for systemic intervention.
Key deficiencies highlighted included fragmented governance, insufficient financing, weak data management, acute workforce shortages, uneven distribution of infrastructure and limited access to services. Participants noted that rehabilitation is not explicitly referenced in national health policies and that coordination mechanisms, largely driven by the Medical Rehabilitation Therapists Board (MRTB), require restructuring. The absence of a dedicated rehabilitation budget forces many Nigerians to rely on out‑of‑pocket payments, while limited insurance coverage further constrains utilisation.
Data gaps were identified as a major barrier to evidence‑based planning; rehabilitation information is not routinely integrated into the national health information system. The workforce shortage is pronounced, with few training institutions and an uneven spread of professionals, especially at primary health‑care facilities where services are most needed. Service delivery remains concentrated in a handful of tertiary hospitals, and community‑based rehabilitation is virtually nonexistent within the public sector. Low awareness among health‑care workers and communities hampers referrals and uptake of rehabilitation programmes.
Despite these challenges, the meeting recognised pockets of progress, such as patient‑centred services in some acute‑care settings and improving alignment of training curricula with international standards. Stakeholders agreed to produce a detailed validation report within two weeks and to finalize a clean draft of the STARS report. A revised version incorporating stakeholder feedback will be submitted to the Federal Ministry of Health and the MRTB by early June, followed by continued consultations—both virtual and in‑person—to refine the document and develop a National Rehabilitation Policy.
The group emphasized that any reform must be accompanied by an implementation plan, a costed resource‑mobilisation framework and robust monitoring and evaluation systems. Adoption of the reforms at the state level, tailored to local needs and endorsed by the National Council on Health, was also called for.
The initiative comes as Nigeria grapples with rising rates of disability linked to non‑communicable diseases, stroke, road‑traffic injuries and an ageing population, all of which heighten demand for effective rehabilitation services. Weak rehabilitation structures risk worsening disability outcomes, reducing economic productivity and placing additional strain on families and the health system. Strengthening rehabilitation is central to the WHO’s Rehabilitation 2030 vision, which seeks to embed these services within universal health coverage and promote sustainable health‑care delivery across the continent.
