By Hillary Asemota
The Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy on Monday launched NigcomHealth, a digital health service platform geared towards transforming the country’s healthcare for Nigerians both at home and abroad.
NigComHealth is a telehealth service that provides a platform for Nigerians to book appointments, receive medical advice or recommendation and consult with physicians and other healthcare practitioners from the comfort of their homes, offices schools and localities.
Access to these services will not only reduce the burden of physical hospital visits, but also enhance the overall quality of healthcare services for citizens, the Ministry said.
Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony in Abuja, Prof. Ibrahim Pantami, the Minister in charge of the Ministry, who was represented by his Chief of Staff (CoS), Prof. Salihu Jinaudu, said compared to other developed nations, our healthcare system is still underdeveloped in terms telemedicine, outreach and accessibility to quality healthcare services by the vast number of our communities, especially those residents in rural and remote areas.
To bridge the gap, he said there is urgent need to leverage on the disruptive technology to improve access to healthcare services and quality medical practitioners available within Nigeria and across the globe.
Therefore, NigComHealth platform is a timely solution that could ensure that quality healthcare services are available to all Nigerians, irrespective of their locations, he added.
The Minister, said: “The Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, spend between $1.2 and $1.6 billion on medical tourism yearly on outbound medical tourism.
“The practice of medical tourism, where the more privileged Nigerians travel abroad for better medical service is hoped to reduce drastically through the NigComHealth service, where easy access to first class medical practitioners would be made available to all Nigerians via NigComHealth digital Platform.”
According to him, Nigeria has a total of 39,914 operational hospitals and clinics. This number combines private and public hospitals across the primary, secondary and tertiary levels of care.
He quoted the Executive Director of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Faisal Shuaib, as saying that 70% of Nigerians presently live in the rural areas where the hospital facility closest to them are primary healthcare centres.
In a related development, he averred that the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) through their President and Secretary-General, Drs. Uche R. Ojinmah and Jide Onyekwelu argued in Gombe during the Association’s 2022 National Executive Council (NEC) that “the doctor-patient ratio in the country is getting worse, with a physician attending to more than 5,000 patients. This represents a stark contrast with WHO’s recommendation of 1 doctor to 600 patients. With 218 million people to cater for, Nigeria requires at least 363,000 additional doctors to meet this target.
The launch of NigComHealth aligns with the government’s vision to promote digital transformation and boost economic activities in Nigeria, explaining that with the platform, government is promoting a more efficient and effective healthcare system that could be accessible to all Nigerians.
This will also improve the capacity of our healthcare professionals to deliver quality services, by leveraging technology to reach out to patients in the remote areas with less cost and physical stress, he added.
He said: “NigComHealth is a significant milestone in our efforts to improve the quality of life of all Nigerians. This platform will enable us to harness the benefits of technology and access a broader range of doctors and medical experts to deliver quality healthcare services, thereby ensuring that every Nigerian can access the care they need, when they need it. With NigComHealth, we are bridging the gap in healthcare access and promoting health equity across the country.
“I am assuring the stakeholders in the Health sector, both public and private to onboard into the initiative. It is an access to healthcare by a click.”
In a remark, the Canadian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. James Christoff, said NigComSat Virtual Hospital is a digital innovation and potential game changer in improving health outcomes, especially in underserved and remote areas.
He expressed happiness that the technology that powers the virtual hospital platform was developed by Ethnomet, a Canadian digital healthcare company based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
Christoff, said the technology has been developed with the vision and strategic objective of having over 80 federally and stated owned government hospitals co-exist on the platform. And, the platform is also meant to provide digital health services to 1.7 million public sector workers and their families in Nigeria.
He commended the Federal Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy, and the Federal Ministry of Health for their vision and unparalleled commitment to the promotion of technology and health innovation in Nigeria.
“I see this collaboration as an exciting example of the endless possibilities that derive from the strong and growing bilateral trade between Canada and Nigeria, adding that Nigeria is already Canada’s largest merchandise trading partner in Sub-Saharan Africa, and the largest source of FDI into Canada from the region.
Also in his remark, the MD/CEO of NIGCOMSAT, Mr. Lawal Tukur Funtua, expressed appreciation to the Minister, Minister of Health, the Canadian High commissioner and the partner company Ethnomet, that contributed in making the platform a reality.
He said: “We are committed to continuously bring out innovations geared towards adding value to the lives of the citizens while leveraging on technology which has been the hallmark of the administration of our Hon Minister.
“We are in full gear to help ease the onboarding of public and private hospitals and other medical services into NigComHealth. Together we will ensure health reach on our fingertips.”
