Healthcare Stakeholders Call for Local Solutions to Revamp Nigeria’s Ailing System

Dare Williams

Nigeria’s healthcare system is in dire need of reform, and stakeholders are urging that solutions come from within, with healthcare leaders, policymakers, and practitioners advocating for homegrown fixes to address the country’s struggling healthcare sector.

Experts sounded the alarm on Nigeria’s healthcare shortcomings at the Society for Quality in Healthcare in Nigeria (SQHN) 2025 Annual Conference in Lagos, pinpointing stark deficiencies in patient safety, access, and equity, and prompting a urgent call for change.

Nigeria’s health sector is facing significant challenges, with only 46% of births attended by skilled personnel, a neonatal mortality rate of 41 deaths per 1,000 live births, and health insurance coverage limited to just 18.7 million people out of a population of 220 million, underscoring the need for locally driven quality improvement initiatives to address these pressing issues.

Keynote speaker Dr. Don Berwick emphasised global responsibility in advancing healthcare quality, praising SQHN as a “gem” and offering Institute of Healthcare Improvement (IHI) support to set national healthcare skill standards.

He said, “In terms of universal improvement skills, Nigeria has this gem, SQHN, who are a great resource in this country, and IHI (Institute of Healthcare Improvement) is ready to help set a national goal on what the skill level for everybody in healthcare should be.”

Mrs. Fola Laoye, SQHN board of trustees member, stressed that enhancing healthcare quality in Nigeria is both a professional obligation and a moral duty, emphasising that every patient deserves safe, effective, and dignified care, and calling for collective action to redefine quality healthcare in the country.

She said, “Improving healthcare quality in Nigeria is both a professional duty and a moral responsibility. Every patient, in every corner of this country, deserves care that is safe, effective, and dignified. This conference is a call to action, to learn, collaborate, and redefine what quality healthcare can mean here.

“As we gather for the second edition of the Elebute Memorial Lecture, we are reminded that improving healthcare quality in Nigeria is both a professional duty and a moral responsibility. Our mission at SQHN is to ensure that every patient, in every part of this country, experiences care that is safe, effective, and dignified. This conference is a call to action to learn, to collaborate, and to push the boundaries of what quality healthcare in Nigeria can be.”

The conference brought together top healthcare brass, including Dr. Kelechi Ohiri, director-general/CEO of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA); Prof. Akin Abayomi, honourable commissioner of Health, Lagos state; Prof. Philip Abiodun, chairman, National Tertiary Health Institutions Standards Committee; Mrs. Njide Ndili, president of the Healthcare Federation of Nigeria (HFN) amongst others.

SQHN, now over a decade old, continues to drive Nigeria’s healthcare quality movement through training, standard-setting, accreditation, and patient safety initiatives tailored to the Nigerian context.

The event aimed to spark concrete action, partnerships, and evidence-based recommendations to address Nigeria’s healthcare challenges, including infrastructure gaps, workforce constraints, and fragmented service delivery.