Stakeholders and health commissioners from different parts of the country have converged on Lagos, to brainstorm and proffer solutions for improved healthcare system in Nigeria.
The Commissioner For Health and Human Services, Ekiti State, Mr Oyebanji Filani, while speaking with journalists, said that improving the healthcare system was the primary core value of every state in the country.
Filani spoke at a two-day summit organised by the Center for Applied Research and Innovation in Supply Chain Africa(CARISCA) held in Lagos.
The summit had the theme “Reimagining Africa’s Supply Chains for a Sustainable Future.”
Filani who is also the Chairperson of the Nigerian Health Commissioners Forum, said that the states had been doing well over the years, setting up drug management agencies, and ensuring that those agencies were backed by law.
“The states have been doing well over the last four years, setting up their drug management agencies, ensuring that those agencies are backed by law, and that they are able to procure directly from manufacturers.
“Procuring directly is to guarantee the availability and quality of commodities, to ensure that the prices of those commodities are much lower than the open market, and pass those savings to the citizens in the different states,”he said.
Filani also said that expanding capacity to manufacture drugs locally, leveraging partnerships with the private sector, and promoting digitization to enhance efficiency and transparency was key to improving the health sector.
Filani stressed the importance of academia in driving innovation, turning theory into practice, and evaluating programs to identify best practices.
“By working together, academia and healthcare professionals can improve healthcare outcomes,” he said.
While addressing labor mobility and retention, Filani noted that ensuring timely delivery of commodities to healthcare facilities could encourage healthcare professionals to stay in Nigeria.
“States like Ekiti have seen significant retention of healthcare workers due to investments in infrastructure, service delivery, and supply chain systems,”he said.
Filani said that a well-functioning healthcare system in Nigeria could have a multiplier effect across sub-Saharan Africa.
“As the system grows, trust increases, and people are more likely to access healthcare services, including essential drugs.
“This, in turn, can lead to increased employment opportunities, pharmaceutical companies can expand, creating jobs for pharmacists, biochemists, accountants, and IT specialists.
“A stable healthcare system can contribute to economic growth and development,” he said.
Filani, however, commended President Bola Tinubu for showing more concern on pharmaceutical products.
“This move has led to a marked reduction in drug prices, though more work needs to be done to achieve affordable healthcare for all Nigerians,” he said.
Prof. Adegoke Oke from the Department of Supply Chain Management at Arizona State University, said that the summit was aimed at bringing people from all sectors together to discuss supply chain issues.
“This is a forum that brings together practitioners and academics, government people, private companies and academia together to talk about supply chain issues.
“I know many people heard about the supply chain during COVID, but the supply chain has always been there, it has always been an important part of any organisation in any operation.
“Without supply chains things cannot happen, you cannot get what you buy without a supply chain, without an effective supply chain, so supply chain is important in all aspects of our lives,” he said.
Earlier, Prof. Samuel Odewunmi, a former Dean of School of Transport, Lagos State University(LASU), said that the summit was not just for top officials but for students also.
“CARISCA is a council for the supply chain in Africa. But we have expanded to other world countries, including the United States, Europe, and Asia. So, this is the first time it’s coming to Nigeria.
“In the parallel sessions, you will see some of our student PhD masters presenting,”he said.
He said CARISCA’s annual Supply Chain Research Summit was central to the goal of strengthening African supply chain capacity and advancing Africa’s supply chain research globally.
He said the event brings together academic researchers, industry professionals, and public and private sector organizations to create meaningful dialogue addressing complex supply chain challenges.
Commissioners from Kwara, Jigawa, among others were present at the summit.
Reporting by Innocent Onoh