Physicians call for increased healthcare investment and modernized online medical education

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By Adeola Badru

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The West African College of Physicians (WACP) has called on the Federal and state governments to prioritise sustainable healthcare financing, improve medical training infrastructure and adopt affordable digital technologies to address challenges confronting Nigeria’s health sector.

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The call was part of resolutions reached at the end of the 50th Annual General and Scientific Meeting (AGSM) of the Nigeria Chapter of the college, held from July 5 to 11 at the International Conference Centre, Ibadan, Oyo State.

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The conference, themed “Building Bridges, Forging Resilience and Partnership in Health,” brought together medical professionals, researchers, policymakers and public health stakeholders.

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Addressing journalists at the close of the meeting, Chairman of the Nigeria Chapter of WACP and Vice President of the college, Prof. Benjamin Uzochukwu, said the resolutions were aimed at strengthening collaboration among healthcare professionals, government institutions and communities to build a more resilient health system.

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He disclosed that the conference attracted 434 doctors, comprising 351 physical participants and 83 virtual attendees, including fellows, resident doctors, researchers and policymakers from Nigeria and other West African countries.

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Uzochukwu said deliberations focused on three key areas: improving medical training, leveraging simple and affordable digital technologies to enhance patient care, and developing a stronger financial foundation for healthcare delivery.

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He said participants identified several gaps in Nigeria’s health system, including weak links between medical specialties, laboratories and clinical services, policy formulation and implementation, healthcare training and national needs, as well as disparities between urban and rural healthcare delivery.

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According to him, the college resolved that stronger partnerships must be built across medical disciplines, government institutions and communities to improve healthcare outcomes.

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“The college underscores the urgent need to build bridges across medical disciplines, between policy and practice, and between urban and rural communities to strengthen resilience and partnership in health,” he said.

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The physicians urged governments at all levels to move beyond temporary interventions by establishing sustainable healthcare financing mechanisms and providing reliable utilities, adequate manpower, improved infrastructure, diagnostic services, blood transfusion facilities and greater health equity.

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They also recommended that postgraduate medical training institutions adopt minimum infrastructure standards while promoting multidisciplinary care, rural practice incentives, research support, mentorship programmes, diaspora engagement and improved healthcare workforce data systems.

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On medical education, Uzochukwu said the college advocated the use of affordable digital tools to enhance postgraduate training and standardise competencies across the country.

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He identified artificial intelligence-assisted tutoring, virtual patient simulations, three-dimensional anatomy platforms, e-learning systems and other digital solutions as cost-effective tools capable of expanding access to quality medical education.

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“Technology should complement, not substitute, clinical training and skills acquisition,” he said.

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The WACP chairman proposed a three-step approach for integrating technology into medical education, involving the identification of training gaps, matching them with suitable digital solutions, and testing, evaluating and expanding successful interventions.

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The college further called on the Federal Government to provide dedicated funding for digital infrastructure in medical education, establish national standards, create a consortium on medical education technology, develop digital teaching modules and ensure equitable access to digital learning resources across federal, state and private institutions.

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It also urged stronger collaboration between the college and the National Universities Commission (NUC) on curriculum development and other aspects of postgraduate medical training.

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