Ayomide Awe
The Federal Government has warned against treating telemedicine as a substitute for doctors and physical healthcare facilities, insisting that digital health technology must complement medical professionals rather than replace their expertise, compassion and clinical judgement.
The government said although telemedicine could expand access to healthcare, particularly in underserved and rural communities, its effectiveness depended on integrating digital services with competent health workers, diagnostic facilities, essential medicines and emergency medical care.
The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Health, Dr Salma Ibrahim-Anas, stated this on Tuesday in Abuja at the Nigerian Telehealth Conference 2.0, organised by Mobihealth International.
The conference was themed “The Future of Healthcare is Connected: Click and Brick.”
Ibrahim-Anas described the gathering as timely, given Nigeria’s ongoing efforts to transform its healthcare system, stressing that the country must adopt a model that combines the convenience of digital technology with accessible physical healthcare infrastructure.
“The future of healthcare is connected, click and brick,” she said, explaining that effective digital health delivery required a combination of technological innovation, professional expertise and human interaction.
She warned that the growing adoption of digital healthcare must not undermine the critical role of medical practitioners in diagnosis, treatment and patient care.
“Telehealth is not simply about deployment; it is not a replacement for our competent health workers,” the presidential aide said.
According to her, healthcare delivery involves more than providing online consultations, noting that patients still require qualified professionals, physical examinations where necessary, laboratory investigations and timely interventions in emergencies.
She maintained that technology should strengthen the capacity of healthcare workers to deliver quality services rather than displace them.
The presidential aide identified maternal, newborn and child healthcare as areas where telemedicine could make a significant difference, particularly for people living in communities with limited access to specialists.
She said digital platforms could enable pregnant women in remote areas to obtain professional guidance, receive referrals and access specialist support without having to travel long distances before getting initial medical advice.
Ibrahim-Anas stressed that geographical barriers should not prevent mothers and children from receiving appropriate healthcare guidance.
“A mother seeking advice about her infant should not be left without appropriate guidance simply because she does not have access to a specialist paediatrician in her community,” she said.
She added that the government’s health sector priorities included strengthening the healthcare system, expanding access to essential services, improving healthcare financing, revitalising primary healthcare centres and advancing Universal Health Coverage.
However, she cautioned that achieving these objectives through telemedicine would require deliberate efforts to address the infrastructural and regulatory challenges limiting digital healthcare delivery across the country.
Among the challenges she identified were unreliable electricity supply, poor internet connectivity, inadequate sustainable funding, data privacy concerns, cybersecurity threats and the need for effective regulation and interoperability among health information systems.
She said addressing these challenges was essential to ensuring that digital health services became reliable, secure and accessible to Nigerians across different locations.
Ibrahim-Anas also warned against implementing digital health programmes in ways that could exclude vulnerable populations.
She called for deliberate measures to ensure that rural residents, women, older people, persons with disabilities and Nigerians with limited digital literacy could benefit from telemedicine services.
According to her, the success of digital healthcare initiatives should be assessed based on their impact on patients and the quality of healthcare delivered, rather than the number of platforms launched.
“Our progress must be measured by outcomes rather than by the number of platforms inaugurated,” she said.
The presidential aide urged participants at the conference to develop practical recommendations that would translate discussions into measurable improvements in healthcare delivery.
She said the proposed Abuja Declaration on Telehealth 2026 should clearly identify the institutions responsible for implementation, establish realistic timelines and outline actionable steps towards expanding digital healthcare services.
Earlier, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Mobihealth International, Dr Funmi Adewara, said the conference theme underscored the importance of integrating digital healthcare solutions with existing physical health infrastructure.
Adewara explained that technology should create stronger connections between patients and healthcare professionals, communities and hospitals, pharmacies and prescriptions, laboratories and clinicians, as well as primary healthcare centres and specialist services.
She maintained that digital innovation should improve the capacity of healthcare workers to serve patients rather than diminish their importance in the healthcare system.
“Technology must strengthen, not replace, our healthcare workforce,” she said.
Adewara added that the effectiveness of telehealth should be determined by its ability to improve health outcomes, expand access to medical services and save lives.
Similarly, the World Health Organisation Country Representative and Head of Mission to Nigeria, Dr Pavel Ursu, said the priority should be to build interconnected healthcare systems capable of delivering measurable benefits to patients.
He said the expansion of digital health platforms alone would not guarantee better healthcare outcomes without effective coordination and integration with existing health services.
“Our ambition is not simply more digital health, but more connected health systems that use digital technology to deliver measurable impact,” Ursu said.
The News Agency of Nigeria reported that the conference brought together healthcare professionals, technology experts, policymakers and development partners to discuss strategies for advancing telehealth and achieving Universal Health Coverage in Nigeria.
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