Nigeria’s healthcare sector is poised to take a leap to the top over the next decade as experts see the combination of innovation, a vibrant young population, and infrastructural development as key drivers.
Akintoye Akindele, chairman of Platform Capital, a principal investment firm, said the global investment rally around the healthcare sector would extend to Africa, with the viability of the Nigerian market as the attraction, speaking at the 2023 annual conference of the Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria (PSHAN) of Nigeria.
He identified innovations in artificial intelligence technology, digital healthcare, insurance, telemedicine for improved delivery, healthcare data analytics, continuous monitoring, healthcare blockchain technology, and 3D printing as areas expected to drive the most growth.
But he noted that health entrepreneurs who can leverage the trend, an enabling environment, and a regulatory system prepared to evolve with the trends would help to maximise the most opportunity.
“Healthcare is attractive and has strong fundamentals. Lagos state has a great opportunity of being the tech hub of Africa. So then create a framework where policy incentives, tax incentives, support and open up medical infrastructure for these entrepreneurs to surf. Otherwise, it will be disrupted by neighbouring innovators,” Akindele said.
In terms of management of health facilities, Olayinka Subair, country manager, Nigeria and West Africa, said quite a lot of funding is coming into the space, empowering private sector participation and utilizing available resources.
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“There was a fund for retired nurses whereby we encouraged the setup of primary care in rural areas. It is like a clinic and they are given all the empowerment. The return period is about five years and they run it as a private business and they are trained on basic diagnosis. It was about 100 of that and you can imagine that number spread across the country with people have access to primary care, reducing the burden of early diagnosis.”
The conference themed “Building Sustainable Health Systems in Nigeria,” set out to examine the obstacles impeding Nigeria’s health system, and identify opportunities for innovation and strategies for building resilient and sustainable health systems.
It brought together experts and stakeholders from healthcare providers to policymakers, researchers, development partners, and private sector players.
The overall review was that opportunity to improve healthcare is robust for patients and service providers if the required investment is channeled.
Michel Deelen, consul-general of the Netherlands Embassy in Lagos said the change expected in the Nigerian healthcare sector requires investment and quality governance.
Christopher Bode, former chief medical director of Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), said the government needs to make healthcare attractive to reverse migration of people and capital.
He, however, said consideration must be given to affordability while pursuing a universal healthcare that is equitable in access and quality.
He suggested that end users are involved in the planning and implementation of healthcare programmes to generate wider acceptance.
“The end point is to improve efficiency, quality as well as the outcome. Primary Healthcare Centres (PHC) must be the bedrock, well designed and there must be creative action.”
He also stressed the need to factor the vulnerable, adding about 83milllion people are in that space. He identified the vulnerables – women, children, elderly and persons with disabilities,” she said.
Tinuola Akinbolagbe, managing director of PSHAN, said the organization is a not-for-profit, business-led organisation founded to improve Nigeria’s healthcare system by mobilizing resources and capabilities to provide accessible, affordable, and first-rate healthcare solutions to everyday Nigerians.
