The Federal Government says telemedicine must complement human expertise and physical healthcare infrastructure rather than replace the human touch essential for quality healthcare delivery.
Telemedicine involves delivering healthcare services remotely through digital communication technologies, including telephone calls, video consultations and online platforms, without requiring patients and healthcare professionals to be physically present together.
Dr Salma Ibrahim-Anas, Special Adviser to the President on Health, said this on Tuesday in Abuja at the Nigerian Telehealth Conference 2.0, themed “The Future of Healthcare is Connected: Click and Brick,” organised by Mobihealth International.
Ibrahim-Anas said the conference came at a critical period in Nigeria’s health sector transformation, emphasising that the future of healthcare depended on combining digital technology with physical healthcare systems.
“The future of healthcare is connected, click and brick,” she said, adding that digital health must combine “the reach and convenience of digital technology with human touch, professional expertise and physical infrastructure.”
She emphasised President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to strengthening health systems, expanding access to essential services, improving healthcare financing, revitalising primary healthcare and advancing Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
She said that telemedicine could help bridge gaps in maternal, newborn and child healthcare by enabling pregnant women in remote communities to access professional guidance, referrals and specialist support.
“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.
Ibrahim-Anas, however, cautioned that telehealth could not replace healthcare workers, diagnostic services, essential medicines and emergency care.
“Telehealth is not simply about deployment; it is not a replacement for our competent health workers,” she said.
She emphasised the need to preserve human connection in healthcare delivery, noting that technology should support healthcare professionals rather than replace their judgment and compassion.
“As health professionals, we have to have that human touch to it,” she said.
She said nationwide telemedicine implementation required addressing key challenges, including unreliable electricity, limited connectivity, sustainable financing, regulation, data privacy, cybersecurity and interoperability of health information systems.
The presidential aide also emphasised the importance of ensuring that digital health services reached rural communities, women, persons with disabilities, older people and Nigerians with limited digital literacy.
She urged stakeholders to measure the success of digital health initiatives by improved health outcomes rather than the number of platforms inaugurated.
“Our progress must be measured by outcomes rather than by the number of platforms inaugurated,” she said.
Ibrahim-Anas called for practical solutions from conference participants, saying the proposed Abuja Declaration on Telehealth 2026 should provide clear recommendations, identify responsible institutions and establish realistic implementation steps.
Earlier, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Mobihealth International, Dr Funmi Adewara, said the conference theme reflected the need to integrate digital healthcare with physical health infrastructure.
Adewara said technology must connect patients with professionals, communities with hospitals, pharmacies with prescriptions, laboratories with clinicians, and primary healthcare facilities with specialist care.
“Technology must strengthen, not replace, our healthcare workforce,” she said, adding that telehealth success should be measured by improved healthcare outcomes and lives saved.
Also, World Health Organization (WHO) Country Representative and Head of Mission to Nigeria Dr Pavel Ursu said the goal was not merely to increase digital health platforms but to build connected systems capable of delivering measurable improvements.
“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 (NAN) reports that the conference brought together health stakeholders, technology experts, policymakers and development partners to discuss strategies for advancing telehealth and achieving Universal Health Coverage in Nigeria. (NAN)
Post A Comment: