By Simon Augustine
The second phase of the Joint External Evaluation (JEE) of Plateau State's health security system has concluded, with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) presenting the state's baseline performance following a five-day assessment workshop and field visits conducted across the state.
The evaluation, held at Crispan Hotel in Jos, assessed Plateau State's capacity to prevent, detect and respond to public health threats using the One Health approach, which integrates the human, animal and environmental health sectors.
Presenting the assessment report, the Director of Sub-national Department, NCDC, Pharm. Chibuzo Eneh explained that the evaluation provided a comprehensive review of the state's preparedness and response mechanisms with the aim of strengthening health security for all residents of Plateau State.
According to the NCDC, Plateau State recorded a baseline Joint External Evaluation score of 25 per cent in the 2026 assessment, compared to the national baseline score of 39 per cent recorded in 2017.
Reacting to the outcome, Plateau State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Nicholas Ba'amlong expressed appreciation to the NCDC, the EPIC Project of FHI 360, and the United States Government for supporting the evaluation process.
He described the assessment as a critical baseline for the state, noting that Plateau was undertaking the Joint External Evaluation for the first time.
"To us, this is a baseline. Plateau State has never conducted this assessment before, so we needed to know exactly where we stand in terms of health security.
This baseline will spur us to do more to ensure that the state's health security is taken to the next level," he said.
Dr. Ba'amlong expressed satisfaction with the outcome, describing the findings from the 14 technical areas and 35 indicators as objective and credible.
He noted that while the state performed relatively well in the human health sector, greater efforts were required to strengthen the animal and environmental health sectors.
"Based on the scores, we are not doing badly in human health, but in animal and environmental health, we are not yet where we should be," he stated.
The commissioner called for stronger collaboration among the relevant ministries and agencies to address the identified gaps before the next round of assessment.
He also commended Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang for his political will and commitment to improving healthcare delivery in Plateau State, expressing confidence that the state would significantly improve its performance before the mid-term assessment scheduled for the next two years.
Also speaking, the Director-General of the Plateau State Drugs and Medical Commodities Management Agency (PS-DMCMA), Pharm. Jerry Kim Bot attributed part of the low performance to inadequate documentation of ongoing health interventions.
He noted that although substantial work was being done across the health sector, much of it was not properly documented.
"We are doing a lot in the health sector, but many of our achievements are not adequately documented. We will prioritise reviewing our documentation processes to ensure they receive the attention they deserve," he said.
Pharm. Bot further applauded Dr. Ba'amlong for championing the transition to electronic documentation systems, describing the initiative as a game changer that would improve transparency, accountability and end-to-end verification of health data.
In separate remarks, the Commissioner for Livestock Development, Veterinary Services and Fisheries, Dr. Sunday Akpa, and the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Mr. Bulus Leshak assured of the readiness of their ministries to work closely with the Ministry of Health and other stakeholders to improve the state's performance before the next evaluation.
Earlier, the Deputy Director of Sub-national Department, NCDC, Dr. Olubunmi Olopha presented the detailed assessment results across the 14 technical areas under the three core domains of Prevent, Detect and Respond.
She observed that while Plateau State demonstrated encouraging performance in several human health indicators, the animal and environmental health sectors required greater investment and inter-sectoral collaboration.
Dr. Olopha also commended the state for its strong political commitment, transparency throughout the evaluation process, dedicated One Health workforce and academic institutions, functional laboratory systems, real-time vaccine tracking mechanisms and the availability of a pharmaceutical-grade warehouse.
The Joint External Evaluation adopted a multisectoral One Health approach and brought together Commissioners, Permanent Secretaries, technical experts and representatives from the Ministries of Health, Budget and Economic Planning, Finance, Environment, Agriculture and Livestock Development, alongside health institutions and development partners, all committed to strengthening Plateau State's health security and emergency preparedness.
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