How digital platforms can help reduce congestion in hospitals – Experts

Health experts have said that digital health platforms can play a significant role in easing pressure on Nigeria’s hospitals by helping patients manage non-emergency cases remotely. This was highlighted during the launch of the Koyo Navigate App in Abuja, a digital healthcare platform developed by Koyo HealthTech Ltd. to connect Nigerians with verified medical professionals […]

Health experts have said that digital health platforms can play a significant role in easing pressure on Nigeria’s hospitals by helping patients manage non-emergency cases remotely.

This was highlighted during the launch of the Koyo Navigate App in Abuja, a digital healthcare platform developed by Koyo HealthTech Ltd. to connect Nigerians with verified medical professionals and provide access to reliable health information.

The company’s founder and chief executive, Dr. Tom Cracknell, said the platform is designed to simplify access to healthcare services and reduce the challenges many Nigerians face in finding trusted medical advice.

“Our mission is to improve access to trusted, high-quality, and convenient healthcare services for millions of Nigerians,” Cracknell said.

“We want to make the journey toward quality healthcare transparent and empathy-driven, using technology as an enabler.”

He explained that the app allows users to chat in real time with licensed doctors, share photos and videos for clinical assessment, and receive guidance on next steps.

According to him, Koyo is also developing an artificial intelligence (AI) system to help doctors interpret patient information and identify potential conditions more quickly.

“The AI will extract key clinical indicators and pass them to human doctors for diagnosis,” he said. “For example, it should be able to tell whether a headache is more likely to be meningitis or a brain tumor.”

Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), FCT chapter, Dr. Ayogu Malachy Emeka, said platforms like Koyo could help reduce long waiting times in hospitals.

“Nigeria currently has one doctor for every 5,000 to 10,000 people, compared to the WHO recommendation of one per 1,000,” he noted.

“People sometimes wait hours to be seen. A digital system that handles non-emergency consultations can help doctors focus on critical cases.”

He added that the app was developed based on local research and community engagement, including input from Nigerian women and medical professionals.

Also speaking, the FCT Mandate Secretary for Health, represented by Dr. Abubakar Ahmadu, described the innovation as timely and expressed readiness to explore collaboration.

“Technology integration is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity,” he said. “We welcome partnerships that can strengthen healthcare delivery in the FCT and beyond.”

Cracknell said Koyo plans to partner with local medical institutions and regulatory bodies to improve digital access to healthcare services nationwide.