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The Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria (PSHAN) has urged the federal and state governments to scale up investment in primary healthcare (PHC) and digital health systems to improve access to quality healthcare across the country.
The alliance said its Adopted Primary Healthcare Facility Project has provided access to quality healthcare for nearly one million Nigerians in the last three years, demonstrating the impact of revitalised primary healthcare centres on improving health outcomes.
Speaking at PSHAN’s 2026 annual conference in Lagos, themed: “Driving Digital Innovation for a Healthier Nigeria,” the Director of Policy and Programmes, PSHAN, Dr. Anne Adah-Ogoh, said utilisation of revitalised primary healthcare centres had increased by more than 1,000 per cent after their refurbishment, demonstrating that Nigerians readily embrace healthcare services when they are affordable, accessible and of good quality.
She said strengthened primary healthcare could address up to 80 per cent of the country’s disease burden before cases require secondary or tertiary care, stressing that health insurance remains critical to protecting citizens from catastrophic out-of-pocket healthcare expenses through pooled financing.
According to Adah-Ogoh, the revitalised facilities have provided skilled antenatal, delivery and postnatal care for nearly 300,000 women and routine immunisation for about 250,000 infants over the past three years.
She added that the project had recorded no maternal or infant deaths within the supported facilities while maintaining uninterrupted supplies of essential medicines and commodities for basic healthcare delivery.
She urged governments at all levels to deepen collaboration with the organised private sector to expand access to quality primary healthcare and improve Nigeria’s health indices.
Also speaking, Board Director, PSHAN, Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, said digital technology alone would not transform healthcare without strong institutions, effective policies and disciplined implementation.
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He noted that although Nigeria now has more than 120 active health technology startups developing solutions in telemedicine, artificial intelligence, digital pharmacies, electronic medical records, logistics and health financing, millions of Nigerians still lack access to quality healthcare, while about 72 per cent of health expenditure is financed through out-of-pocket payments.
He said innovation must address fundamental health system challenges, including poor diagnosis, weak supply chains, fragmented health data and inadequate financing, rather than simply deploying fashionable technologies.
He added that the dramatic rise in patient attendance at revitalised primary healthcare centres proved that restoring confidence in public health facilities could significantly improve healthcare utilisation.
Aig-Imoukhuede called on innovators to focus on practical solutions, urged investors to provide long-term patient capital and appealed to policymakers to create regulatory frameworks that support innovation and sustainable investment.
In her remarks, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Iwosan Healthcare, Mrs. Fola Laoye, said Nigeria’s healthcare sector offers significant investment opportunities driven by growing demand for healthcare services, expanding health insurance coverage, increasing digital health adoption and advances in artificial intelligence.
She urged healthcare entrepreneurs to build scalable solutions that address genuine system challenges, measure outcomes and adopt internationally recognised quality standards to attract investment.
Laoye also advocated greater investment in electronic medical records, integrated healthcare systems and digital platforms that enable patients to securely access their health records across different levels of care.
Stakeholders at the conference agreed that while Nigeria possesses the talent and innovation needed to transform its healthcare sector, achieving universal access to quality healthcare would require sustained collaboration among government, the private sector, investors and development partners.
