Dr. Muhammad Ali Pate, an intellectual ambassador at 49
“One of the polio leaders I respect most is Dr Muhammad Pate…I admire him very much. I want to introduce my children to him one day soon”…..Bill Gate, 2011
If the world has to name one person who has taken the name of Nigeria to every corner of the globe in the field of medicine, it would be without dispute; the internationally-known medical doctor, academician, technocrat and a global public servant; Dr. Muhammad Ali Pate.
Nigeria has produced many intellectuals with enormous talents in different fields, but unfortunately it has became a long-established habit that people from the third-world countries usually forget their origin once they become famous and gain world recognition.
Many of them choose to turn down an offer by their home countries, instead chose to work for other countries and pick up a new citizenship that is more appealing to their new fame.
It’s not by coincidence; contrary to this custom, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate has never forgotten his homeland, country and the continent, what a true son of Nigeria and Africa!
In 2008, the late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua whom he has never met in his life appointed him to run the NPHCDA at the peak of the polio epidemic crisis in Nigeria.
The country then, one of the four countries including Pakistan, Afghanistan and India categorized as (PAIN) – where polio exists and can thus be transmitted to other countries.
In June 2009 Dr Pate instigated a policy of engaging respected traditional rulers in the north under the leadership of the Sultan of Sokoto to help deliver the immunization program message,
along with the development of an effective primary health care system which had failed in the previous decade. The cases of wild poliovirus (WPV) reduced from 803 at the end of 2008 to only 11 cases in 2010.
Dr Pate led the development of a transformation agenda for the NPHCDA, dealing with outstanding issues following its merger with the old NPI (National Program on Immunization).
This involved core diagnostics, systems development and human resources capacity development within the Agency.
He identified the key failings in the healthcare system as structural constraint, mismatched burden of disease and low quality spending, poor and
inequitable intermediate and long-term health outcomes, inefficient service delivery, dilapidated health infrastructure, lack of skilled manpower in the frontlines;
basic drugs and supplies and inadequate financial protection. He also facilitated the introduction of new vaccines to improve routine immunization;
and engaged state Governors, Captains of Industries and local government agencies to ensure improvements in Primary Health Care.
He pioneered the implementation of a national Midwives’ Service Scheme (MSS) to address the high maternal and child morbidity and mortality.
In 2011, former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan GCFR, recognized and rewarded his success at the NPHCDA by appointing him Minister of State for Health, a position he held until his voluntary resignation in July 2013.
These were years in which Dr Pate developed some of the most innovative and impactful efforts for global health in Nigeria and formulated with his team the landmark “Saving One Million Lives initiative” for Nigeria.
This elaborate and highly praised scheme was launched by President Jonathan at a meeting of the UN Commission on Essential and Life-Saving Commodities for Women and Children, in Abuja, in 2012.
In May 2013 in Geneva, Nigeria received a huge tribute for Saving One Million Lives when delegates to the 66th World Health Assembly (WHA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) broke into spontaneous applause for the lead it was taking in global efforts aimed at reducing mother and child deaths.
Dr Muhammad was singled out for special commendation at a high-level side event for ministers and senior participants where he was described as a ‘super hero’ by Dr Ariel Pablos- Mendez, the Assistant Administrator for Global Health at USAID, for what Nigeria had achieved.
The outcome of Dr Pate’s efforts during his time as Minister speaks for themselves. Throughout his time in office, a large factor for success was the priority he gave to establishing strong partnerships with global health agencies and leading politicians, statesmen and philanthropists around the world to help Nigeria improve its health outcome.
He formed coalitions, alliances, platforms and networks which philanthropist including Microsoft’s Bill Gates, the founder of CNN and Chairman, United Nations Foundation, Ted Turner, who helped Nigeria in its battle against polio and measles.
From 2011 to 2013, he mobilize over $1billion in additional financing for PHC, implemented innovative programs such as prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV, clinical governance and chaired presidential task force on polio eradication.
At the Global Health Policy Summit during the London Olympics in 2012, Dr Pate was a member of distinguished panel on Maternal Health and commended as part of a “stellar group of global clinicians”, policymakers, investors
and entrepreneurs by the then UK Prime Minister David Cameron, who invited him back to Downing Street. The summit was a partnership between Imperial College London and the Qatar Foundation.
Born on 6th September 1968, Dr. Pate started his primary education in 1973 and completed in 1979 where he had the best results in the Common Entrance Exam in Bauchi State.
He was awarded a scholarship at the highly regarded Barewa College in Zaria. After his General Certificate Examination (WAEC, GCE) in 1984, he moved to the School of Basic Studies at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, to do the fast-track Interim General Matriculation Examination (IJMB) where he was admitted to study medicine.
At the age of 17, he had been accepted into the Faculty of Medicine at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria. He sat for West African College of Physicians Fellowship Examinations, and passed in 1994.
From 1991 to date, Dr. Ali Pate has served in the following capacities; House Officer, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH) 1990-1991, Medical Officer, Nasarawa Hospital, Kano 1991-1992,
Assistant Lecturer/Senior House Officer, ABUTH 1992-1993, Medical Officer, British Medical Research Council Laboratories, Fajara, the Gambia, 1993-1995, Resident Physician and Chief Resident (in 1998), Howard University Hospital, DC General Hospital, 1995-1998,
Instructor in Medicine and Infectious Diseases Fellow, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, USA, 1998-2000, Young Professional/Health Specialist, Africa Region, World Bank Group, Washington, DC, USA, 2000-2001,
Health Specialist, seconded from World Bank to the District of Columbia Government Department of Health, USA, 2001, Senior Health Specialist, World Bank Group, 2001-2006, Public Health Specialist, World Bank Group, 2002-2005, Washington,
Human Development Sector Coordinator/Senior Health Specialist, East Asia and Pacific Region, World Bank Group, Washington, DC, 2006-2008, Chief Executive, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), 2008-2011,
Federal Cabinet Minister (Minister of State for Health), 2011-2013, Chair and Vice-Chair, Global Agenda Council on Population Growth, World Economic Forum (WEF), 2011-2013,
Visiting Professor, Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA, 2013-2015, Founder and Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Chigari Foundation, Abuja, Nigeria, 2014-date,
Co-chair of Harvard-London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Independent Panel on the Global Ebola Response, Member of Advisory Board, 2014-2015, Merck for Mothers, Merck and Co. USA, 2014 to date,
Co- Chair and Founding Board member, Private Sector Health Alliance (PHN) of Nigeria (supported by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation), 2010 to date, Richard L.
and Ronay Menschel Senior Leadership Fellowship, Division of Policy Translation and Leadership Development Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA, 2016 and currently, Chief Executive Officer, Big Win Philanthropy, July 31, 2015 to date.
Dr. Pate has won over 30 international awards, notable among them includes; Senior Fellow of the Nigeria Leadership Initiative (NLI), Inducted at Yale University, New Haven Connecticut, April 2015,
Geneva Health Forum Award, Geneva, Switzerland, May 2014, Harvard Health Leadership Award, 2012, Harvard Ministerial Leaders Forum at Harvard School of Public Health/Kennedy School, Boston MA, June 2012,
World Bank Spot Award for Effective Team Leadership, 2008, World Bank Spot Award for Effective Team Leadership, 2006, World Bank Spot Award for Effective Team Leadership, 2005,
World Bank Spot Award for Contribution to the HDNHE, 2002, Excellence Award for Peer Review of the US Journal of the National Medical Association, 2003,
Outstanding Performance Award, Howard University Hospital Internal Medicine Merit Award, 1998, American College of Physicians Outstanding Performance Award, 1997, Howard University Hospital Internal Medicine 1996 and many others.
He has contributed to over 40 peer reviewed publications in international and reputable journals of medicines and Book chapters.
In 2004, he opted to do an MBA (Master of Business Administration) with an additional Certificate in Health Sector Management within the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University, United States of America. In 2004-2006, he took two important projects to the board of the WB: one was the Lesotho health sector reform project which led to the construction of a new tertiary facility on a public-private partnership, and the Zambia malaria booster project, which he did in six months, which was a patent for the World Bank Group.
He has served on several national and international expert panels, including the Pacific Health Summit 2011, Seattle WA, USA, First WHO Health Systems Research Forum, Montreux, Switzerland 2009,
Mckinsey’s Geneva Health Forum 2009, Switzerland, Ernst Strungman Forum, Frankfurt, Germany 2010 and China-Africa Roundtable for Health 2010.
He is also a member of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Steering Committee on Assessment of Impact of Polio Eradication on Routine Immunization and a reviewer for OECD HQ Paris, the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Vaccination and Humanitarian Emergencies at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva.
Innovative Financing for Development 2010, He was a guest speaker of African Development Bank Group (ADBG) in 2017 held at Ahmadabad in India.
While at the World Bank, a major project led by Dr Pate was the far-reaching health sector reform programs in Africa, East Asia and other regions of the World Bank.
One of his initiations of landmark is Public Private Partnership to replace a National Referral Hospital in Lesotho, Africa. Dr. Pate was awarded the prestigious Harvard Health Leader award of 2012.
Currently, Dr. Pate was ranked first on merit based on the report of Executive Director Nomination Committee (EDNC) Interim Report as the most qualified person for the office of the Executive Director of Global Fund.
As outlined by EDNC, eleven candidates were shortlisted for the first round of interviews. However, two candidates chose not to pursue their candidacy for the ED role.
Of the nine candidates (2 women and 7 men) participated in the first round of interviews, which were held in London on 26-27 January 2017 and five candidates (2 women and 3 men) were selected to participate in the second round of interviews in London on 6th February 2017.
Following the first and second rounds of interviews, EDNC reiterates that in its view, any one of these final candidates would make an excellent ED although each would require a different set of complementary skills in the team around him.
The EDNC ranked Dr. Muhammad Pate first, Subhanu Saxena second, and Helen Clark third in order of merit as the most suitable candidates to lead the Global Fund. EDNC’s citation on Candidate 1 (Muhammad Pate) stated that;
“Muhammad Pate’s acute knowledge of global public health at technical and policy levels, allied to his successful experience in an implementing partner government, meant that he would “hit the ground running” if appointed.
It would send a powerful message about the nature of partnership at the Global Fund. He would also be well-placed to work with implementing country leaders on domestic resource mobilization.
His additional experience in academia, the World Bank, and in a private foundation according to EDNC would give him a breadth of view and considerable exposure to innovation in financing and delivery”.
On this note, Global Fund will by third week of October 2017 announce its new Executive Director to pioneer the affairs of the Agency.
Dr Ali Pate is a global star and rare archetype with know-how, more than the words can convey.
The present administration which has promised change to Nigerians has no raison d’être for not utilizing the global health expert by offering him another opportunity to contribute in repositioning our country’s health sector for the better tomorrow.
He is an American Board-Certified MD in both Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, a professor at the Duke University Global Health Institute, North-Carolina.
Pate, a home rooted man holds the traditional title of Chigarin Misau and Dan Iyan Ibbi; married and blessed with six children. Mr. Yahaya wishes you a “Happy birthday” and many happy returns to an intellectual ambassador.
Mr. Yahaya wrote from Lake Chad crescent, Maitama-Abuja. Danmuye@yahoo.com+2348036616767
