Firm urges sustainable solutions to healthcare challenges

A Non-government organisation, PharmAccess has called for the deployment of digital and sustainable solutions to improve the healthcare system. The call was made in Abuja during a research symposium organised by PharmAccess in collaboration with the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Ebute-Metta, and the Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) of Pan-Atlantic University.

At the event, PharmAccess Nigeria’s Country Director, Njide Ndili, highlighted the role digital tools could play in improving healthcare, especially for Nigeria’s underserved populations, by focusing on practical solutions to boost healthcare access and funding through technology.

Ndili observed that digital health solutions can create new ways to reach more Nigerians, particularly those living in rural areas where healthcare services are limited.

She said progress has been made in providing health insurance to many Nigerians, especially the poor, who remained uninsured. “There’s so much digital technology can do as an enabler, it can break barriers, make healthcare more accessible and affordable,” Ndili said.

Ndili urged the Federal Government to develop a policy for using mobile or light digital technology to aggregate funding and triage patients. She cited an example of a mobile application for TB screening, developed by the Pharmacist Foundation in partnership with the Institute of Human Virology (IHVN), to identify and triage TB patients.

“We want the Federal Government to adopt as a policy the use of mobile or light digital technology to aggregate funding and triage patients. There is a mobile application for TB screening developed by the Pharmacist Foundation in partnership with the Institute of Human Virology. It’s a matter of programming the algorithm into a future phone or a smartphone,” Ndili added.

The National Coordinator of the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain, Dr Abdu Mukhtar, emphasised the importance of research and data in shaping effective healthcare policies. He pointed out that investing in digital research tools could provide valuable insights to improve health outcomes and drive policy change.

“It’s important to lay the solid ground for research, data-driven analysis, and information. This will help policymakers make an informed decision,” Mukhtar said.

Director of the Enterprise Development Centre at Pan-Atlantic University, Dr Nneka Okekearu, pointed out the importance of collaboration between the public and private sectors to implement digital innovations. She urged sectors to connect and work together towards achieving their goals. “We’re operating in silos, we need to connect,” Okekearu added.