Minister Urges States to Adopt Self-Care in Health Policies

Iziaq Salako, minister of state for health and social welfare, has called on state governments to incorporate evidence-based self-care into their health policies and programs. This initiative aims to enhance healthcare delivery across Nigeria.

Self-care involves individuals, families, and communities promoting health, preventing disease, maintaining well-being, and managing illness or disability, with or without healthcare provider support.

At the Nigeria national self-care conference in Abuja, the minister emphasized that integrating self-care into primary healthcare requires training healthcare workers, enhancing community education, ensuring access to quality health products, and safeguarding the public from unsafe practices.

The minister highlighted that self-care can bolster disease prevention, support maternal and reproductive health, improve management of non-communicable diseases, and enhance mental well-being.