By Rebecca Ejifoma
Nigeria’s leading telemedicine company, CareClick is set to host international and local health experts at its first-ever telehealth conference billed to hold today.
Dignitaries expected at the conference are the Executive Director, World Telehealth Initiative, Sharon Allen, who is the key note speaker; Senior Special Adviser on Health to Lagos State Governor, Dr. Ore Awokoya; and Medical Director, Redcare HMO, Dr. Moyo Olomola.
Others are the Chief Executive Officer, Hygeia HMO, Dr. Obinnia Abajue; MTN Nigeria, Dr. Idorenyin Oladiran; Head E-Health, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr. Ronke Agoro; and Lagos Zonal Coordinator, National Health Insurance Scheme, Olufemi Akingbade.
The virtual conference themed: ‘The Future of Healthcare Today”, will bring together local and international telehealth experts to discuss trends, innovations, practical challenges, and solutions adopted in the use and future of telehealth in Nigeria.
Speaking in a media briefing in Lagos to announce the programme, the CEO, CareClick Technologies Diran Abidakun, said that the current pandemic had significantly increased the awareness and acceptance of telehealth amongst the populace.
“Its benefits in times like this cannot be over-emphasised as it helps healthcare practitioners’ practice necessary safety measures including physical distancing while providing patients with quality healthcare,” he added.
According to him, telehealth makes access to healthcare easier, faster, and more cost-effective, stressing that technology was rapidly changing the course of things and the improved adoption of telehealth in Nigeria would be a game changer for her healthcare system.
The CEO decried, “With WHO doctor to patient ratio in Nigeria standing at 4:10,000, health care access is a big problem in the country and unfortunately, the most affected are individuals who live in rural areas.”
He continued that “these individuals must struggle and travel long distances to access affordable and quality healthcare.
“This is a problem that can be highly mitigated through the appropriate use of telehealth and telemedicine technologies as a tool to address these challenges and improve healthcare quality.”
The CareClick Telehealth Conference will feature high-level discussions on ways to increase the adoption of telehealth in Nigeria, innovation in virtual care, telehealth advancement and post COVID-19 realities.
The two panel discussions titled, ‘Improving Healthcare Coverage, Patient Traffic and Outcomes through Telemedicine’, and ‘Virtual Healthcare: Ensuring Health, Safety and Productivity for Organisations during a Global Pandemic’ promises to be exciting and informative.
CareClick is a pioneering telemedicine company bridging the gap in provision of quality healthcare solutions and services across Africa by providing a remote and convenient means of connecting the public to quality and affordable healthcare providers.
