‘Why hospitals should embrace Telemedicine, Robotics, other innovations’

A cross-section of stakeholders and experts in the health sector, have admonished hospitals in Nigeria to adopt Telemedicine, Robotics and other technological innovations in order to revolutionise healthcare delivery. The stakeholders specifically said telemedicine and technology are currently transforming Nigeria’s healthcare landscape, bridging the gap between local limitations and global medical standards. They spoke in […]

A cross-section of stakeholders and experts in the health sector, have admonished hospitals in Nigeria to adopt Telemedicine, Robotics and other technological innovations in order to revolutionise healthcare delivery.

The stakeholders specifically said telemedicine and technology are currently transforming Nigeria’s healthcare landscape, bridging the gap between local limitations and global medical standards.

They spoke in Abuja during the weekend at a retreat with the theme: “Strategic Thinking and Team Cohesion Retreat on Digital Innovation”, organised by Nisa Premier Hospital.

Speaking, the Group Medical Director of the Hospital, Dr. Musa Shuaibu, said adoption of technology has become imperative in order to save time and energy and reduce stress.

Shuaibu noted that patients in Nigeria can now consult medical specialists in the United States and the United Kingdom, receive real-time diagnoses, and access post-treatment evaluations all without leaving the country.

“We are already using telemedicine to its full potential. It has been incredibly effective in facilitating consultations, diagnosis, and post-treatment evaluations,” Dr. Shuaibu disclosed.

As part of its next phase of innovation, the director disclosed that robotic surgical systems will soon be deployed, enabling foreign-based surgeons to perform procedures remotely on patients in Nigeria.

He added, “We’re just a few weeks away from deploying robotic facilities. Surgeons will soon be able to operate from overseas while the patient is right here in Nigeria. This is the future of medicine.”

On his part, a healthcare expert, Dr. Ibrahim Wada, emphasized that beyond technology, it is equally important to consider strategic thinking as a driving force behind any successful health system.

He warned that without clear direction and coordination, the most advanced innovations risk becoming ineffective.

Dr Wada said, “Strategic thinking is the central nervous system of any organization. It drives innovation and ensures that every step we take improves healthcare delivery.”

The experts also cautioned that hospitals that fail to embrace digital transformation risk becoming irrelevant.

“If you refuse to embrace technology in healthcare today, you stand to lose everything. You cannot use your feet to travel from Kuje to Abuja when others are flying,” the healthcare expert warned.

Addressing the issue of brain-drain, board chairman of the Nisa Premier, Dr. Shamsudeen Usman said digital platforms now enable Nigerian doctors abroad to remain connected to the country through virtual consultations, remote surgeries, and medical training sessions.

“With the right technology in place, there’s no reason for our best minds to disconnect from the country. Let’s give them the tools to work from wherever they are, and brain drain will begin to decline,” he said.

The stakeholders, at the end of the retreat, summarised that with telemedicine, AI diagnostics, and robotic surgery now taking root, Nigeria’s healthcare system is undergoing a silent revolution – the one driven not by luxury, but by necessity.