Stakeholders Brainstorm on Improving Health Care Delivery in Nigeria. By CHINONYEREM IGWE, Abuja.

The Chief Executive Officer of ONEBARROW International Nigeria Limited, Yemi Ajao, has described the ongoing Health Equity Conference as a practical platform for diagnosing and addressing the challenges confronting Nigeria’s healthcare system. Speaking to independent journalists, Mr Ajao noted that the health system in Nigeria is in a precarious state and requires urgent collaboration, shared resolve, and unity of purpose to revitalize healthcare delivery across the country.

According to him, one of the principal aims of the summit is to bring stakeholders in the health sector together to deliberate on workable pathways for reversing the downward trend of healthcare service delivery in Nigeria. He further stated that the conference seeks to explore strategies for strengthening quality healthcare systems and to encourage effective

collaboration among healthcare providers, thereby improving healthcare outcomes and addressing pressing issues affecting health-related personnel and services. The summit, he added, will also examine the importance of coordinated efforts to generate actionable solutions for enhancing healthcare services and facilities nationwide.

Mr Ajọa emphasized that while government continues to seek solutions to health system challenges, all stakeholders should also guard against persistent repetition of ineffective approaches. He remarked, “Spending time and resources attempting to solve problems over and over again is a waste of resources that ought to be redirected to other critical areas of the health sector.”

He explained that the summit will assess Nigeria’s healthcare journey through five key lenses, including the impact of health policy, accessibility of care to healthcare facilities, and health financing, all with the goal of achieving better quality results. The conference will also examine the gaps that have prevented many Nigerians from accessing good, reliable, and quality healthcare. In his view, merely establishing enormous hospitals without ensuring that they are reachable and

accessible when needed cannot improve the health prospects of the communities they were intended to serve.

Responding to concerns about large hospitals and the state of their facilities, he stated that if such gigantic institutions are not easily accessible in times of need, then the very essence of establishing them is undermined. He added that the impact of these facilities cannot be meaningful where access remains limited.

The CEO also commended government health policies, particularly the commitment to ensure that all agencies involved in healthcare delivery are fully integrated into the implementation of effective policies and framework initiatives. He believes that such interventions are remarkable and, as private partners, organizations like his are collaborating with government to identify shared areas of interest and work together to guarantee adequate and basic healthcare for the populace.

In the same vein, the National Secretary of the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria (PCN), Pharmacist Adewale Kelani, appealed to top decision-makers in the country to patronize Nigerian hospitals. He urged them to desist from medical tourism, stressing that Nigeria boasts some of the best-trained and most competent medical professionals who have handled challenges comparable to those faced abroad.

Pharmacist Kelani noted that if the President and other senior government officials patronize hospitals within Nigeria, it would provide deeper insight into the realities of the country’s healthcare system and open avenues for improvement in healthcare delivery and the broader healthcare industry.

The summit concluded with enthusiastic participation from delegates, as various stakeholders celebrated the opportunity to proffer solutions aimed at strengthening healthcare delivery in Nigeria.