The first female Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of EHA Clinics, Dr Ifunanya Ilodibe, has emphasised the need to structure the primary healthcare around public, private, and philanthropic partnerships to build a sustainable primary care system and infrastructure in the country.

She noted that 85 per cent of healthcare services needed by patients can be obtained in primary care, hence the need to show people that there is quality healthcare in the primary care system.

Ilodibe told The Guardian that a lot of patients in Nigeria pay out of pocket for healthcare and emphasised the need to find innovative ways to deliver quality and accessible healthcare in a financially responsible way.

She stated that though over 60 per cent of patients get their healthcare from private care, healthcare equity cannot happen in private facilities considering that not everybody can afford it, except through a collaborative effort between the public healthcare and private healthcare.

Ilodibe said that her strategic objective is to focus on improving the quality of care, not just in EHA clinics, but across the healthcare ecosystem. “I want to focus on providing care that is sustainable, financially responsible, and unique, as well as focus on impacting our communities, especially those that have vulnerable populations and underserved.

“I would like to focus on solving complex problems, delivering healthcare innovation that truly gets data, improves outcomes, and mitigates the risks associated with climate change.”

She observed that EHA Clinics is a world-class comprehensive health care service provider, which aims to bridge the gap between patients and healthcare services in any setting through innovative online and mobile solutions.

The outgoing CEO, Adam Thompson, envisioned a system that could deliver quality, high-performing primary care, but didn’t realise that at the beginning of the journey. “We have been able to grow programmes that reached out to the community and delivered the same level of high-quality care, but to the less disadvantaged in our community.”

Thompson expressed optimism that the new CEO will lead the organisation with clarity, humility, and commitment to delivering quality and making healthcare a different experience.

On his part, the Chief Operating Officer (COO), Paul Hogan, observed that the EHA Clinics is moving into a new chapter and will be expanding its operational efficiency, productivity, and patient-centred innovation.

He noted that the clinic is an IT, informatics, healthcare company, as well as a public health service provider, adding that other partners in the IT community have found strength in the quality assurance system.

In his remarks, EHA Vice President, Business Development, Abdulkareem Iyamu, noted that Ilodibe’s emergence as the first non-founding CEO of EHA Clinics is a testament to the trust that has been placed in the staff by the board and by the management of the organisation.