...As Royal Philips New Survey Reveals Ailing
Sector
By Chioma Umeha
There is growing concern over the state of
healthcare in Nigeria. Many pundits have it that there is no future to the
country’s healthcare system.
According to them, it is a scenario where
uncertainty governs access and the structure is largely powered by
out-of-pocket payments in the private sector and an over-burdened public
sector.
The answer does not even lie in government simply
putting more money in the health sector, but the solution is restoring the
confidence of the Nigerian public in the system.
It was not surprising therefore that the issue was
a focus on the a recent summit in Lagos, tagged, ‘Future of Health In Nigeria’
organised by Royal Philips, one of the global leaders in health technology, in
collaboration with KPMG Africa.
The deliberation which attracted many health
industry key players who brainstormed on way forward for the sector witnessed
the release of a new health survey in Nigeria.
Data from the survey which comprised over 500
Nigerians via interview showed, “52 per cent trust the healthcare system,
although only 36 per cent feels that their healthcare needs are being met.”
The survey also highlighted a clear discrepancy
between the expectations of Nigerians and the reality of the healthcare system,
indicating inefficiencies and ample room for growth.
With more than half of Nigerians leaning on
hospital facilities for the most minor of ailments, there is a clear need for
improved access to primary care practitioners, local health facilities,
tracking health indicators and a wider availability of information about
health, nutrition and fitness.
The survey further said, “majority of Nigerians
(65 per cent) believe that improved access to health facilities would make them
more effective in managing their health, thus alleviating pressure on the
system.”
Commenting, Radhika Choksey, Philips Group
Communications, Africa, explained that the survey was aimed at understanding
what the ‘Future of Health’ might look like in the country and its associated
challenges.
Choksey further said that the Agency One Voice
Connect conducted the survey online between April 11 and 24, 2018 among 503
Nigerian adults, majority of whom are aged from 18 to 34 years.
A breakdown of the geographical zones involved in
the survey showed that 80 per cent of urban/city were covered, while 13 per
cent and six per cent consisted of the suburb as well as rural areas
respectively.
Further analysis of the regions showed that the
North Central states of Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau, Federal
Capital Territory comprised 17 per cent of the figure, while North East states Adamawa, Bauchi,
Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe consisted
four per cent.
Seven per cent of the figure came from the North
West states including, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara;
South East states including, Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo made up eight
per cent of the figure.
However, 16 per cent of the figure was from the
South South states including Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Bayelsa, Rivers, Delta and
Edo and the South West states
– Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun,
Oyo shared the remaining 48 per
cent.
On his part, Kunle Elebute of KPMG Africa declared
open the summit with his discourse on the importance of partnerships towards
ensuring equitable healthcare.
He stressed on the importance of harnessing
capacity in the private healthcare sector to fill gaps in the public sector.
In his keynote address, Michael Jackson, healthcare
futurist, spoke about the recipe for change which includes computing,
communications, connectivity, among others. Jackson also illustrated the
changing face of technology and how this has impacted the world and the day to
day life of its people.
He spoke about the evolution of business which now
focuses more on skills, knowledge, decentralisation, partnerships and digital
engagement and the fast pace of technological development, encouraging
healthcare professionals to emulate this progression in rolling out digital
healthcare solutions for Nigeria and Africa.
There was a panel session which looked into the
role of technology in the transformation of healthcare in Nigeria during which
Jasper Westerink, CEO, Philips Africa, posited that besides the provision of
important healthcare solutions through technology, Philips is committed to
educating and creating awareness towards the reduction of risk factors
associated with unhealthy lifestyles. He added that provision of technologies
that enable a healthy lifestyle also remained a key priority for Philips
Africa.
Westerink also gave specific examples of
healthcare product innovations from Philips such as handheld probes and the
importance of training opportunities for non-healthcare professional to operate
them.
He said that having a wide spectrum of healthcare
attendants embedded in communities would go a long way to fixing issues with
the overburdened primary healthcare systems. He noted that access to
technologies that capture early diagnosis is another way to alleviate this
burden.
The Philips Africa CEO emphasised the need for
collaborations, partnerships and the provision of fast-paced healthcare
technologies towards making positive impact on lives. He noted that challenges
exist but so do opportunities to bring together resources and partnerships to
leapfrog sustainable healthcare in communities.
Citing the private sector, government and
Nigeria’s young and vibrant population as key stakeholders to bring to the
table, he concluded the session by reiterating the importance of education,
prevention, focus on acute
challenges and harnessing the resources of stakeholders who want to make a
change in Nigeria’s healthcare sector.
He added that in principle one could solve
Nigeria’s healthcare challenges with the structures in place. Furthermore, he
gave examples of digital, connected technologies being developed in Africa and
delivering healthcare solutions to Africans today.
He cited the example of Philips’ community life
centres using solar power in Kenya. He said that technology can help tackle
challenges right here in Nigeria such as the inequitable ratio of (one medical
doctor) 1 MD: 25000 patients and the language gap across the 500 dialects
spoken here, encouraging healthcare professionals to adopt this tactic:
simplify, smarten-up, specialise.
Dr. Jide Idris, Commissioner of Health, Lagos
State, in his submission touched on the importance of training to ensure
healthcare professionals are well-equipped, applied technologies, health
promotion and preventative solutions.
He also spoke about the importance of
communication and behavioural change initiatives in order to leapfrog from
education to ensuring that technologies are well understood and applies in
communities.
Another discussant, Ms. Clare Omatseye, President,
Healthcare Federation of Nigeria, opined that with technology being a major
driver of change, especially today when patients are digitally and empowered,
healthcare solutions must be incorporated into everyday innovations and meet
patients where they are.
She added that while Nigeria has as many skilled
consultants in other countries such as the USA and the U.K. due to brain-drain,
there was a need to close the digital divide so that consultancy services can
be delivered seamlessly across borders.
She observed some challenges facing the healthcare
sector including financing and access to capital as well as the importance of
collaboration with sectors outside healthcare in order to deliver viable
solutions.
Focusing on the issue of brain-drain, she said
that some of the top reasons for this including remuneration, access to
technologies and better working environments all of which she said can be fixed
with the right level of commitment and investment.
She also talked about Nigeria’s vibrant private
healthcare sector, which is unfortunately fragmented due to gaps in solutions.
She said it was important for government to partner the private sector and
bring in their passion in order to achieve the ideal formula for success in
healthcare delivery.
She then decried the phenomenon of patients
getting more impoverished when they get sick and the need for alternative and
cost effective means to access quality healthcare through PPP is made available
to all. She encouraged governments to provide a pool of funds towards this, to
advocate for mandatory universal healthcare and to spend more time on
prevention rather than cures.
On his part, Martins Ifijeh, Head, Health Desk,
This Day Newspaper, talked extensively about the need for prioritisation by
government of more budget allocation to healthcare provision in Nigeria. He
said Nigerian government could do more with regards to universal health
coverage, stating that it has to be constitutionally mandated to achieve the
desired results. He also said that
the issue of universal healthcare should be highlighted more in Nigeria’s
political discourse and emphasised the need for collaboration between
government and stakeholders.
