The organizers of the Nigerian Healthcare Excellence Award (NHEA) have opened online voting for the 2026 edition of the awards as the healthcare sector prepares for this year’s ceremony aimed at recognizing excellence and innovation across Nigeria’s healthcare industry.

The 2026 award categories would cover key sectors of the healthcare industry, including healthcare delivery services, diagnostics and laboratory medicine, health insurance, oncology, IVF services, biomedical technology, pharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution, physiotherapy, healthcare innovation and healthcare media excellence.

In a statement signed by the Director of Marketing, Communication and Strategy for NHEA, Moses Braimah, the organisers said the commencement of online voting marks the beginning of the final phase of public participation ahead of the award ceremony scheduled for June 26, 2026.

According to the statement, the nominees emerged after an extensive nomination and screening process conducted by the NHEA Jury, with healthcare institutions, professionals, healthcare technology companies, diagnostics providers, pharmaceutical firms, HMOs and media organizations shortlisted across several categories.

The statement described the Nigerian Healthcare Excellence Award as a leading recognition platform within Nigeria’s healthcare sector, noting that it continues to spotlight organizations and individuals contributing to improved healthcare delivery, innovation, quality standards and patient outcomes in the country.

Speaking on the significance of the online voting process, Braimah said the 2026 edition reflects what he described as the growing maturity and competitiveness of Nigeria’s healthcare ecosystem.

He stated that NHEA has continued to evolve as a credible platform for recognizing healthcare excellence, innovation, leadership and impact, adding that the quality of entries and nominations received this year demonstrates the progress being made across different segments of the healthcare industry.

Braimah further said this year’s nominees represent institutions and individuals driving transformation, expanding access to quality care and setting new standards for service delivery.

He added that the awards process also involves independent verification and assessment exercises for selected categories in order to ensure transparency, credibility and integrity in the evaluation process.

Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of NHEA, Vivian Alikali, stressed the importance of public participation in the awards process. She encouraged healthcare stakeholders, patients, partners and members of the public to participate actively by voting for their preferred organizations and individuals, noting that public engagement remains an important component of the awards because it provides an opportunity to recognize institutions and professionals making meaningful impact within communities and across the healthcare sector.

The organizers urged members of the public to participate in the voting exercise through the dedicated online voting portal on the official NHEA website.

According to the statement, participants are expected to create and authenticate accounts using their registered email addresses before proceeding with the voting process.

Online voting commenced on May 20, 2026, and is expected to close on June 19, 2026, while winners in the various categories will be unveiled during the awards ceremony scheduled to hold on Friday, June 26, 2026, at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.