The Federal Government and health stakeholders have pledged to expand telehealth services across Nigeria, moving digital healthcare from policy frameworks and pilot projects to wider implementation to improve access and advance Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
They made the commitment at the Nigerian Telehealth Conference 2.0, organised by Mobihealth International in Abuja on Tuesday. The conference was themed, ‘The Future of Healthcare is Connected: Click and Brick’.
Dr Salma Ibrahim-Anas, Special Adviser to the President on Health, said telehealth was critical to transforming Nigeria’s health sector and expanding equitable access to healthcare for all citizens.
Ibrahim-Anas said the future of healthcare lay in integrating digital technology with professional expertise and physical health facilities to deliver accessible, affordable and quality services nationwide.
“The future of healthcare is connected, click and brick,” she said, describing the concept as an integration of digital convenience with physical infrastructure to ensure accessible, affordable and quality healthcare delivery.
“It captures an essential truth: the future of healthcare lies in combining the reach and convenience of digital technology with the human touch, professional expertise and physical infrastructure of health facilities,” she said.
She said President Bola Tinubu was pursuing an agenda focused on strengthening health systems, expanding access to essential services, improving healthcare financing, revitalising primary healthcare and advancing UHC nationwide.
Ibrahim-Anas said the government aimed to ensure that access to quality healthcare depended less on geographical location and more on individuals’ healthcare needs.
“As we work towards nationwide implementation of telemedicine, we must address practical foundations: reliable electricity, connectivity, sustainable financing, regulation, interoperability of health systems, data privacy and cybersecurity,” she said.
She explained that telemedicine could support pregnant women, mothers and patients in remote communities by connecting them with healthcare professionals, specialists and referral services for timely and quality care.
She, however, cautioned that telehealth must not be viewed as a replacement for healthcare workers, diagnostic services, essential medicines and emergency services required for effective patient care.
“Telehealth is not simply about deployment; it is not a replacement for our competent health workers,” she said, emphasising that human expertise remained central to quality healthcare delivery.
She added that although technology was important, healthcare delivery must retain compassion, empathy and professional judgement to ensure patient-centred services.
“As health professionals, we have to have that human touch to it,” Ibrahim-Anas said, urging healthcare providers to demonstrate compassion, empathy and professionalism in delivering connected digital health services.
She also called for inclusive digital health services that would benefit rural communities, women, persons with disabilities, older people and Nigerians with limited digital literacy.
Ibrahim-Anas urged stakeholders to measure the success of digital health initiatives by their impact on people’s lives rather than the number of platforms created, emphasising outcomes, equity and accessibility.
“Our progress must be measured by outcomes rather than by the number of platforms inaugurated,” she said, urging stakeholders to prioritise impact, accessibility and equity over technological expansion alone.
Earlier, Dr Funmi Adewara, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Mobihealth International, said the conference brought together public- and private-sector stakeholders to develop strategies for moving telemedicine beyond pilot projects to nationwide implementation.
Adewara said Nigeria was at a critical point, with policy frameworks, legislative efforts and national guidelines aligning to support the expansion of digital healthcare and telemedicine services.
She said the validation of Nigeria’s first national telemedicine guideline was a major milestone towards expanding access to remote healthcare services for underserved populations.
“Technology can help us to collapse the distance between a doctor and a patient, regardless of their geography,” Adewara said, highlighting the potential of digital health to expand equitable access to healthcare.
She said partnerships with government institutions, including the Federal Ministry of Health and the National Health Insurance Authority, were important for integrating telemedicine into the health system and reducing financial barriers for citizens.
Dr Adedolapo Fasawe, Mandate Secretary of the FCT Health Services and Environment Secretariat, said the involvement of regulators, lawmakers, government officials and private-sector players was essential to developing a sustainable telemedicine system.
Fasawe said Nigeria needed a framework to guide digital health practice while ensuring accountability and access to affordable, quality healthcare through telemedicine platforms.
“We do not have enough healthcare professionals. However, when we are talking to patients through telemedicine, health is more accessible, more affordable, and we cut out travel time,” she said.
She added that the government could not achieve digital health transformation alone, stressing the need for partnerships and stakeholder collaboration to drive sustainable innovation, equity and access.
Prof. Fatima Kyari, Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, said regulation remained critical to ensuring patient safety and maintaining professional standards in telemedicine practice.
Kyari said the council was committed to developing a system in which healthcare professionals remained accountable while technology improved service delivery and expanded access to quality healthcare.
“Let us ensure that the future of telemedicine is not merely technological advancement, but professionally responsible and ethically grounded,” she said, calling for accountability, safety and professional integrity.
Dr Oyebanji Filani, Chairperson of the Nigeria Health Commissioners Forum and Ekiti State Commissioner for Health, said technology could transform healthcare delivery but must not weaken accountability and professional standards.
“Telemedicine is not medicine without accountability. It is proper medicine delivered through another channel,” Filani said, emphasising responsible practice, regulation and patient safety in digital healthcare delivery.
Mrs Jane Egerton-Idehen, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited, said expanding digital health services to underserved communities was a key benefit of technology in promoting equitable healthcare.
She said stronger collaboration among stakeholders would help extend digital healthcare services to communities across Nigeria, improving access, affordability and health outcomes.
Stakeholders expressed optimism that recommendations from the conference would support the practical implementation of telehealth and contribute to improved healthcare access and outcomes nationwide.
