Stakeholders canvas for technology, partnerships to transform Nigeria’s healthcare industry
Stakeholders are canvassing for the adoption of technology and increase in public private partnerships to spur growth and development in the country’s healthcare industry.
The stakeholders who spoke during a roundtable discussion on ‘The state of Healthcare in Nigeria’, organised by Philips Africa and Forbes Africa in Lagos, bemoaned the low level of attention given to the health sector, noting that lack of investments in critical health infrastructures still remains a major challenge confronting healthcare delivery in the country.
“With technology being a major driver of change, especially today when patients are digitally empowered, healthcare solutions must be incorporated into everyday innovations and meet patients where they are” Clare Omatseye, President, Healthcare Federation of Nigeria said.
“Government needs to provide a pool of funds, advocate for mandatory universal healthcare and to spend more time on prevention rather than cures” Omatseye said.
She highlighted some of the challenges facing the healthcare sector to include; finance, infrastructural gaps and access to capital, while emphasising the importance of collaboration with sectors outside healthcare in order to deliver viable solutions.
A survey done by Royal Philips , Nigeria, reveals that 65 per cent of Nigerians believed that improved access to health facilities would make them more effective in managing their health, thus alleviating pressure on the healthcare system, 82 per cent believe that the National Health Insurance will have a positive impact on patient outcomes over time and among those who have ever seen a healthcare professional, most 64 per cent are confident in their healthcare professionals’ understanding of connected care technology.
“Evolution of business in health is now focus more on skills, knowledge, decentralisation, partnerships and digital engagement and the fast pace of technological development,” said Michael Jackson, an health expert, in his keynote addressing healthcare futurist
Jackson encouraged healthcare professionals to emulate this progression in rolling out digital healthcare solutions for Nigeria and Africa.
Speaking at a panel session on the role of technology in the transformation of healthcare in Nigeria, Jasper Westerink, Chief Executive Officer of Philips Africa emphasised on the need for collaborations, partnerships and the provision of fast paced healthcare technologies towards making positive impact on lives.
“We believe that sustainable healthcare development requires a system-wide approach, combining technology, capacity-building including training, service and maintenance, as well as long-term financing. To that end, we aim to expand access to quality and affordable healthcare across the country and compliment significant efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s growing health sector,” Westerink said.
Also speaking, Kunle Elebute, chairman, KPMG West Africa said “Nigeria healthcare is underserved and under-consumed, it has not gotten enough human resource and it is the most desperate sector in all sectors in the country.”
Elebute stated that the quick scale up in the implementation of the Universal Health Coverage at both the national and state level, deploying alternative innovation and sustainable sources of funding, building on the existing and forge new multi sectorial partnership for coordinated UHC efforts will help drive the desired success in the sector.
“Nigeria has to start from somewhere by implementing the necessary policies in the healthcare and by so doing in four to five years, the country will make a huge success,” he said.
Jide Idris Commissioner of Health, Lagos State, said that effective communication, training and behavioural change initiatives are very important in order to leapfrog education to ensure that technologies are well understood and applies are available in communities for health promotion and preventative solutions.
The stakeholders also noted that for the country to benefit from the business of health, government at all levels must increase its budgetary allocations to the sector.
ANTHONIA OBOKOH