The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to advancing telemedicine and digital health innovation as key strategies for achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and equitable healthcare access across Nigeria.
The assurance came on Thursday in Abuja at the Nigeria Telehealth Conference 2025, themed “Scaling Telehealth for Universal Health Coverage in Nigeria: Pathway to Sustainability.” The event brought together key players from government, the private sector, and development organisations to review progress and chart the next phase of digital health integration.
Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Salako, described the conference as a milestone in Nigeria’s effort to leverage technology for improved health outcomes and service delivery.
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“Technology is a catalyst for transforming our health system. Telemedicine bridges workforce gaps and connects rural or under-resourced communities to qualified doctors,” Salako said.
He noted that President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda prioritises equitable, accessible, and affordable healthcare for all Nigerians.
According to him, the Nigerian Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative was launched to modernise the healthcare system, with the Nigeria Digital in Health Initiative serving as a key implementation pillar. The initiative promotes a unified and secure health data architecture to support innovation and evidence-based decision-making.
Salako said the conference showcased solutions in e-prescription, immunisation tracking, referrals, and health insurance claims management, while emphasising that interoperability is critical to ensuring no patient or community is excluded from Nigeria’s digital health revolution.
He acknowledged existing challenges such as infrastructure gaps, low digital literacy, data privacy concerns, and regulatory weaknesses, but assured that the government is finalising guidelines and governance frameworks to enhance quality, security, and accountability in telemedicine services.
Deliberations from the conference, he added, will shape the National Telehealth Sustainability Framework, to be presented at the National Council on Health later this month. The framework will serve as a blueprint for integrating telemedicine into the national health system, focusing on standards, financing, infrastructure, and workforce readiness.
In her goodwill message, Dr. Dolapo Fasawe, Mandate Secretary for Health Services and Environment, FCT, said the territory had already begun implementing telemedicine at primary health centres. The first telemedicine booth was inaugurated at Dutse Makaranta PHC in partnership with MobiHealth International.
“Telemedicine proved essential during COVID-19 and remains vital today, supporting thousands of patients remotely even amid doctors’ strikes,” Fasawe said.
She highlighted that remote consultations had linked patients to specialists and improved access for pregnant women under the FCT health insurance scheme—boosting skilled birth attendance from 25 per cent to 102 per cent.
Founder and CEO of MobiHealth International, Dr. Fumi Adewara, urged that telemedicine be institutionalised as a permanent pillar of healthcare delivery in Nigeria.
“Quality healthcare is a right, not a privilege. Through telemedicine, we bring doctors closer to underserved Nigerians and bridge urban–rural divides,” Adewara said.
She called for stronger collaboration among government, academia, and the private sector to mainstream telehealth policy and drive nationwide adoption.
Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Dr. Jide Idris, commended the organisers for promoting digital health as a tool for strengthening national health security.
“Nigeria continually manages multiple outbreaks. Telemedicine bridges access gaps and supports real-time medical response despite limited workforce capacity,” Idris said.
He added that outcomes from the conference would guide future investments in digital healthcare platforms, surveillance systems, and health security infrastructure.
The 2025 Telehealth Conference concluded with a unified call for sustained investment, policy alignment, and innovation to fast-track Nigeria’s journey toward UHC by 2030.
