By James Mmasenyene
The Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria (PSHAN) has called for increased investment in primary healthcare and digital health systems, stressing that sustained funding is essential to strengthen healthcare delivery, improve access to quality services and accelerate progress toward achieving universal health coverage.
Speaking at PSHAN’s 2026 annual conference in Lagos, themed “Driving Digital Innovation for a Healthier Nigeria,” the Director of Policy and Programmes, Dr. Anne Adah-Ogoh, revealed that utilisation of revitalised primary healthcare centres had increased by more than 1,000 per cent after refurbishment, showing that Nigerians readily embrace healthcare services when they are affordable, accessible and of good quality.
She said the Adopted Primary Healthcare Facility Project has provided access to quality healthcare for nearly one million Nigerians in the last three years, including skilled antenatal, delivery and postnatal care for 300,000 women and routine immunisation for about 250,000 infants. She added that the project recorded no maternal or infant deaths within supported facilities while maintaining uninterrupted supplies of essential medicines.
Dr. Adah-Ogoh stressed that strengthened primary healthcare could address up to 80 per cent of Nigeria’s disease burden before cases escalate to secondary or tertiary care. She also highlighted the importance of health insurance in protecting citizens from catastrophic out-of-pocket expenses.
Also speaking, PSHAN Board Director Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede cautioned that digital technology alone cannot transform healthcare without strong institutions, effective policies and disciplined implementation. He noted that although Nigeria has more than 120 active health technology startups in telemedicine, AI, digital pharmacies, electronic medical records, logistics and health financing, millions of Nigerians still lack access to quality healthcare, with about 72 per cent of health expenditure financed through out-of-pocket payments.
He stressed that innovation must tackle fundamental system challenges such as poor diagnosis, weak supply chains, fragmented health data and inadequate financing.
In her remarks, Fola Laoye, Co-founder and CEO of Iwosan Healthcare, said Nigeria’s healthcare sector offers significant investment opportunities driven by growing demand, expanding insurance coverage, increasing digital adoption and advances in artificial intelligence. She urged entrepreneurs to build scalable solutions that address genuine system challenges, measure outcomes and adopt internationally recognised quality standards to attract investment.
