The story of medical work in ECWA started with the Sudan Interior Mission (SIM) in 1893. The work of SIM grew until 1954 when the SIM related churches came together and formed an indigenous body known as Evangelical Churches of West Africa. In 1976, ECWA accepted the responsibility for all SIM ministries in Nigeria. Today, ECWA has over 5,000 congregations with an average attendance of 6 million members.

The Evangelical Church of West Africa (ECWA) Medical department is the arm of the ECWA church responsible for providing quality and compassionate health care. The department comprises 4 secondary and tertiary level hospitals at Egbe, Kano, Jos and Omu-Aran; 2 schools of nursing and midwifery at Egbe; a school of health technology at Kagoro; and as community health unit which coordinates 22 comprehensive health centres and 105 primary health centres all over Nigeria. The department is also involved in drug manufacturing, wholesale and retail through the ECWA Central Pharmacy Limited, and a comprehensive HIV/AIDS programme through The ECWA AIDS Ministry (TEAM).

The various activities are supervised by the Director of Medical Services and the Central Medical Board.