Tag: healthcare

  • Expert proposes 7-point agenda to transform Nigeria’s healthcare system

    Expert proposes 7-point agenda to transform Nigeria’s healthcare system

    Dr. Richardson Ajayi, a renowned healthcare entrepreneur and investor, has advocated for a comprehensive overhaul of Nigeria’s healthcare system to prioritize accessibility and equity.

    During an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday, Ajayi outlined a seven-point agenda aimed at addressing the deep disparities in healthcare access across the country.

    His proposal focuses on community-driven solutions and the integration of technology to bridge gaps in care.
    Ajayi emphasized the urgent need for systemic change to ensure that every Nigerian, irrespective of their location or financial standing, can access quality healthcare services.

    Access to healthcare: A right, not a privilege
    Access to healthcare is a fundamental right, yet in Nigeria, numerous barriers ranging from geographic challenges to financial constraints continue to prevent many from receiving essential care.

    Ajayi highlighted these challenges, emphasizing that “Healthcare should be a right, not a privilege.”

    A community-centric hub-and-spoke model
    Ajayi proposed the implementation of a “hub-and-spoke” model to address disparities in healthcare delivery. This model would connect smaller, community-based centers to larger, well-equipped facilities, this system will improve access to healthcare in rural areas that currently lack essential services.

    Technology as a game changer
    Highlighting the success of telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ajayi emphasized its potential to bridge geographical gaps. “With telemedicine, we can overcome the geographical limitations that leave many Nigerians without access to healthcare,” he said. Remote consultations and diagnostics could significantly improve healthcare delivery, especially in underserved regions.

    Reducing financial barriers to care
    Ajayi advocated for subsidized healthcare programs, expanded insurance schemes, and innovative financing models to alleviate the financial burden on citizens.

    He emphasized the need to address high out-of-pocket costs, which deter many Nigerians from seeking necessary care. “We need solutions that reduce this burden and make healthcare more attainable.”

    Public-private partnerships for infrastructure development
    Stressing the importance of collaboration, Ajayi called for stronger partnerships between the public and private sectors. Such alliances, he argued, could help expand healthcare infrastructure and improve service delivery across the nation.

    Empowering community health workers and mobile clinics
    Ajayi highlighted the role of community health workers and mobile clinics in delivering preventive care and health education to underserved areas. He urged greater investment in rural healthcare to address disparities between urban and rural communities.

    Inclusive healthcare delivery through stakeholder engagement
    Ajayi called for a concerted effort from all stakeholders, including the government, private sector, and community leaders, to prioritize inclusivity in healthcare delivery.

    “Healthcare should not depend on where you live or your financial status,” he said. “By focusing on community-level care, leveraging technology, and forming strategic partnerships, Nigeria can make healthcare accessible to every citizen.”

    This 7-point agenda, Ajayi believes, could transform Nigeria’s healthcare system into one that ensures quality care for all, regardless of socioeconomic or geographic limitations.

     

     

     

  • Kogi Assembly lauds Army over support for healthcare delivery in LGA

    Kogi Assembly lauds Army over support for healthcare delivery in LGA

    Kogi State House of Assembly has commended the Nigerian Army for her timely support to the health care delivery system in Oziokutu, Adavi Local Government Area of the state.

    In a motion of urgent public importance moved by the lawmaker representing Adavi State Constituency, Asema Baba Haruna on the floor of the House, said the Nigerian Army through the Special Intervention Civil Military Cooperation Projects authorized its Deputy Chief of Policy and Plans, Major General Usman Otaru to execute a massive project in Kogi State.

    According to him, the Ozi-Okutu Hospital was established in 1982 by the former Governor of Kwara State, Late Adamu Attah to provide and promote quality healthcare delivery services to the people of Oziokutu and its environs got inevitably exposed to dilapidation after decades of operation.

    The lawmaker noted that the Deputy Chief of Policy and Plans of the Nigerian Army who is a patriotic son of the soil, concerned by the negative impact of the dilapidation of the facility considered it necessary to revamp the glory of the Hospital by renovating the structures, building new ones and replacing the obsolete equipment with modern ones.

    Asema appreciated Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo for his leadership roles at the commissioning of the New Edifice and Renovated structures at Oziokutu Hospital in Adavi Local Government Area.

    The lawmaker also commended the Deputy Chief of Policy and Plans of the Nigerian Army, Major General Usman Otaru for facilitating a new Oziokutu Hospital among other selfless service to the Oziokutu community in Adavi Local Government.

    Seconding the motion, the member representing Dekina Biraidu State Constituency, Usman Ochidi appreciated Major General Usman Otaru for facilitating the Hospital project for the health care delivery system.

    While aligning herself with the motion, the Deputy Speaker and member Representing Ibaji State Constituency, Comfort Unwuchola Egwuaba commended the Nigerian Army for the timely support of the healthcare delivery system and appealed for an extension of the project to Ibaji Local Government.

    In his submission, the Speaker of Kogi State House of Assembly, Aliyu Umar Yusuf, thanked Major General Usman Otaru for giving back to society.