Plateau Assembly Committee Recommends Passage of Bill to Fund Faith-Based Health Institutions.

The Plateau State House of Assembly Standing Committee on Health has recommended the passage of a bill seeking to provide funding and other forms of support to approved faith-based health institutions across the State.

Presenting the committee’s report before the House on Tuesday during plenary sitting, Deputy Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Nanbol Listick, recalled that the bill was referred to the committee during plenary on March 5, 2025, for detailed legislative scrutiny.

According to the report presented, the committee carefully studied the proposed legislation and conducted a public hearing on August 22, 2025, where stakeholders from relevant sectors made presentations and offered recommendations on the bill.

The committee observed that the proposed law received widespread support because it seeks to provide compassionate and quality healthcare services to all residents regardless of their faith, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status.

It further noted that the bill would promote quality healthcare delivery, help reduce disparities in underserved communities, and encourage the integration of spiritual care and holistic healing into healthcare services.

The committee, however, identified areas requiring amendments, including the need for a clearer framework to ensure transparency and fairness in local government support for faith-based health institutions.

It also endorsed provisions empowering the Ministry responsible for health to deregister non-performing faith-based health institutions, subject to confirmation by the Plateau State House of Assembly.

The committee recommended that faith-based health institutions should participate in the evaluation process alongside government representatives, while funds should be released within two months after the evaluation of eligible institutions.

The committee further proposed that institutions found violating the provisions of the law should be liable to a minimum fine of ₦500,000, while all directives issued under the law should conform with existing legislative frameworks as well as Federal Ministry of Health policies and guidelines.

Concluding its report, the committee expressed appreciation to the House for the opportunity to serve and expressed optimism that its observations and recommendations would facilitate the speedy passage of the bill.

After the presentation of the report, the house converted into a committee of a whole where the Speaker served as chairman, as members scrutinized the report on page by page method.
The house reconvened into plenary after the exercise and adopted the report before the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Na’anlong Daniel directed the Clark of the house to make clean copy of the report and forward it to Plateau State Governor to assent to it.

The Standing Committee on Health is chaired by Rt. Hon. Yakubu Sanda, with Hon. Daniel Nanbol Listick serving as Deputy Chairman. Other members include Hon. Kalamu Idris Dal, Hon. Aliyu Adamu, Hon. Joseph Gokum, Hon. Dickson Chollom, Hon. Eli Ankala.