By Taiwo Oguniyi, Kwara | Oct. 20, 2025
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Kwara State Chapter, has called on all tiers of government to embark on comprehensive policy reforms to strengthen the country’s healthcare system and ensure effective service delivery.
The call was made by the State Chairman of the Association, Professor Abdulrahman Afolabi, during a press briefing in Ilorin to mark the 2025 Physicians’ Week. He was represented by the Acting Chairman, Dr. Ayinde Musa.
Afolabi said Nigeria’s healthcare sector requires a holistic review that focuses on sustainable policies, adequate financing, and improved welfare for medical workers to reduce brain drain and improve patient outcomes.
He explained that this year’s celebration, themed “Healthcare as a Value Chain: Building Efficiency from Policy to Patient” and with the sub-theme “AI, Ethics and the Physicians’ Role in Modern Healthcare,” emphasises the importance of efficiency and innovation in healthcare delivery.
According to him, health delivery involves several interconnected stages — from policy design and infrastructure development to resource allocation, logistics, and patient care — noting that inefficiency at any point can weaken the entire chain.
He listed poor funding, policy inconsistency, infrastructural deficits, weak referral systems, and the migration of healthcare professionals as key obstacles hindering progress in the sector.
The NMA chairman urged policymakers to adopt a system-based and inclusive approach that involves medical practitioners in decision-making processes. He also admonished doctors to maintain high ethical standards, professionalism, and empathy in service delivery.
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On the increasing role of Artificial Intelligence in healthcare, Afolabi warned against the excessive reliance on technology at the expense of human connection and moral judgment. “AI must complement human effort, not replace it,” he said, adding that compassion and trust remain irreplaceable in patient care.
As part of the Physicians’ Week celebration, the NMA Kwara Chapter will embark on humanitarian outreach to orphanages and organise a mentorship programme tagged ‘Young Doctors Day’ to encourage students to consider careers in medicine.
