Meet 7 healthcare specialists driving Nigeria’s transformation

Nigeria’s healthcare sector is an important cornerstone for the nation’s improvement however faces vital challenges.

Extremely expert medical specialists are more and more essential in bridging these gaps and making certain high quality look after Nigeria’s rising inhabitants.

The demand for specialists is evidenced by the rising burden of illness in Nigeria. Cardiovascular, fertility points, psychological well being and public well being misinformation compound the complexity of the healthcare panorama.

The specialists on this report exemplify the transformative potential of experience in addressing vital well being challenges, their achievements in advancing diagnostics, remedies, improvements, entrepreneurship and public well being advocacy illustrate the indispensable want for devoted professionals in shaping a more healthy future for Nigeria.

This report highlights people who’ve actively supported the well being sector for over 30 years. Check out a few of these personalities as spotlighted by Nairametrics.

Dr. Adeyemi Johnson

Dr. Adeyemi Johnson, the Medical Director and Chief Government Officer, of First Cardiology Consultants Restricted. He based First Cardiology Consultants in Nigeria in 2008.

Dr Adeyemi Johnson is a seasoned interventional heart specialist and has been a pioneer in fashionable invasive cardiology in Nigeria, considerably advancing the sphere.

His experience consists of performing groundbreaking procedures equivalent to the primary coronary angioplasty with stent implantation in Nigeria, in addition to the primary non-surgical closures of coronary heart holes in each kids and adults. At the moment, these procedures are routinely carried out underneath his management.
Dr. Johnson has additionally spearheaded the institution of a non-surgical peripheral vascular illness program at FCC, which goals to revive blood stream to blocked arteries within the legs and arms. This program has saved quite a few limbs from amputation as a result of poor circulation, providing sufferers life-saving options.
Because the Medical Director and CEO at FCC Healthcare, he believes within the energy of innovation to rework healthcare. By leveraging the most recent developments in expertise, which be certain that sufferers obtain cutting-edge remedies and therapies.

He stays on the forefront of medical developments, continuously increasing his information and experience to offer one of the best care attainable.

Dr Abayomi Ajayi

Dr. Abayomi Ajayi is a famend fertility knowledgeable, gynaecologist, obstetrician, and entrepreneur, broadly identified for his transformative contributions to healthcare in Nigeria and West Africa.

His work has had a profound influence on the area, notably within the discipline of fertility and reproductive well being.

Because the founding father of ISCARE Nigeria Restricted, a distinguished funding firm centered on the healthcare sector. He’s additionally the founding father of Nordica Fertility Centre, established in 2003, which has turn into one of the crucial respected suppliers of assisted reproductive providers in Nigeria.
With a number of branches providing superior remedies for each female and male infertility, Nordica has considerably improved the lives of numerous Nigerians searching for fertility options.
Dr. Ajayi is understood for his progressive strategy to healthcare, introducing cutting-edge applied sciences and medical procedures in Nigeria. One in every of his main achievements is also pioneering the usage of Excessive-Depth Centered Ultrasound (HIFU) for the non-invasive remedy of fibroids, a breakthrough that has revolutionized ladies’s healthcare within the nation and supplied a much less invasive different to conventional strategies.

Past his scientific work, Dr. Ajayi has additionally championed social initiatives geared toward enhancing consciousness of fertility points, offers mentorship and steerage for younger medical professionals and has demonstrated his dedication to advancing healthcare options within the area.

Professor Ifeoma Pleasure Okoye

Professor Ifeoma Pleasure Okoye is a pioneering determine in Nigerian healthcare, notably famend for her experience in radiology and scientific trials.

With over 44 years of expertise, she has made exceptional contributions to medical apply, schooling, and healthcare methods each in Nigeria and internationally.
She holds the excellence of being the primary feminine radiologist and the primary professor of radiology in Southeast Nigeria, marking her as a trailblazer within the discipline.
All through her illustrious profession, Professor Okoye has devoted herself to advancing medical schooling, analysis, and scientific trials, with a deal with most cancers management and non-communicable ailments (NCDs).
Her work has earned her recognition past Nigeria, the place she presently serves as an Adjunct Professor of Analysis & Innovation on the Nationwide Institute for Most cancers Analysis & Remedy (NICRAT), additional solidifying her world influence.
A specialist in ladies’s well being, interventional radiology, and most cancers detection, Professor Okoye has made vital strides in understanding and treating varied kinds of most cancers, together with breast, cervical, prostate, liver, and lung most cancers.
She has been instrumental in creating radiology infrastructure in Nigeria, notably in radiotherapy and nuclear medication, serving to to enhance remedy choices for sufferers throughout the nation.
As a robust advocate for strong regulatory frameworks, she has facilitated collaboration with worldwide pharmaceutical corporations, enhancing native analysis capability and introducing improvements that improve healthcare supply in Nigeria.
In most cancers care, Professor Okoye has been a vocal advocate for early detection, recognizing the vital want to deal with Nigeria’s excessive most cancers mortality price, which is usually linked to late-stage diagnoses.

To deal with this, she based the Breast With out Spot (BWS) group, which raises consciousness about most cancers and offers important assist to sufferers.

Wanting forward, Professor Okoye stays dedicated to shaping the way forward for healthcare via tireless advocacy for improved entry, enhanced remedy choices, and higher outcomes for all.

Professor Francis Abayomi Durosinmi-Etti

Professor Francis Abayomi Durosinmi-Etti is a distinguished Medical and Radiation Oncologist, in addition to the Chairman of Radiology and Nuclear Drugs Seek the advice of Nigeria Restricted (RANMED).

His contributions to most cancers care, notably in radiation remedy and scientific oncology, have had a transformative influence in Nigeria and past.

Professor Durosinmi-Etti performed an instrumental position in creating most cancers remedy infrastructure in Nigeria.
He was concerned within the design and implementation of superior most cancers remedy applied sciences, together with the AMRA Brachytherapy machine and the CERVIFIX machine. These improvements have considerably enhanced the precision and effectiveness of most cancers remedies, enhancing affected person outcomes within the area.
As a college member on the University of Lagos, Professor Durosinmi-Etti turned the primary professor of radiation remedy and oncology in Nigeria. His tutorial management has left an enduring influence, shaping the following era of oncologists and researchers within the nation. His affect in each scientific apply and schooling has positioned him as a key determine within the improvement of oncology in Nigeria.
Past his tutorial and scientific roles, Professor Durosinmi-Etti additionally served because the inaugural Chief Government Officer of the Nationwide Hospital, Abuja.
He chaired the Nationwide Consultative Committee on Most cancers Management from 2006 to 2015, serving to to form nationwide insurance policies and methods for most cancers care in Nigeria. His management in these positions has performed a vital position in advancing most cancers care on the nationwide stage.
At present, Professor Durosinmi-Etti serves because the Chief Medical Oncologist on the NSIA-LUTH Most cancers Centre in Lagos, the place he continues to supervise superior remedy and analysis initiatives. As he approaches retirement, he’s specializing in consulting providers for the institution of latest radiotherapy and most cancers facilities, each domestically and internationally.

His experience extends to centre design, gear choice, operational effectivity, high quality assurance, and radiation safety, with a particular emphasis on information assortment for analysis.

Dr. Richardson Ajayi

Dr. Richardson Ajayi is a number one healthcare entrepreneur and the Government Vice Chairman of Bridge Clinic in Nigeria.

Ajayi has over 30 years {of professional} expertise in healthcare, specializing in fertility care and medical innovation.

He started his medical journey at King’s Faculty Hospital School of Drugs and Dentistry in London earlier than returning to Nigeria in 1996, the place he pioneered fertility care in a rustic with restricted infrastructure for such superior remedies.
His pioneering work consists of the primary profitable Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) process in Nigeria, marking a significant breakthrough in fertility remedies.
With in depth expertise within the healthcare sector, Dr. Ajayi has been a vocal supporter of digital healthcare transformation in Nigeria, emphasizing the significance of a data-driven strategy to enhance healthcare entry and outcomes.
His efforts are notably centered on enhancing the usage of expertise, healthcare financing and investments. Dr. Ajayi’s contributions should not restricted to coverage advocacy however have been instrumental in creating methods that intention to enhance healthcare entry.

By prioritizing analysis and the self-sufficiency of Nigeria’s pharmaceutical trade, he goals to constantly elevate the nation’s world healthcare profile, notably within the areas of accessibility, affordability, and the adoption of progressive healthcare options.

Dr Adeyemi Onabowale

Dr. Yemi Onabowale is the Founder, President, and CEO of the Reddington Hospital Group in Nigeria, which started operations in 2001.

Past Reddington Hospital, he oversees a community of healthcare services in Nigeria, which incorporates the Duchess Worldwide Hospital, a purpose-built, state-of-the-art 100-bed hospital providing major, secondary, and tertiary healthcare, and specialised facilities such because the Reddington Wellness Centre and the Breast and Gynaecology Centre.
Dr. Onabowale’s expertise spans inner medication and healthcare administration, leveraging over 40 years of experience to advance high-quality medical care in Nigeria.
At present serving on a number of tremendous boards together with a ministerial advisory committee established to advise the president on well being care points and methods in Nigeria.
With a deep dedication to advancing medical care within the nation, he has performed a pivotal position in introducing cutting-edge healthcare applied sciences and providers that rival worldwide requirements.

His contributions and achievements are instrumental in decreasing the necessity for medical tourism, permitting Nigerians to entry world-class care domestically.

Professor Taiwo Lateef Sheikh

Professor Taiwo Lateef Sheikh is a distinguished psychiatrist and tutorial with experience in psychological well being care and advocacy.

He’s the founding father of the Organic Psychiatry Society of Nigeria and the Psychotrauma Aid Society of Nigeria, in addition to the convener of the Nigeria Suicide Prevention Advocacy Working Group, organizations devoted to advancing psychological well being consciousness and care.

Professor Sheikh’s analysis pursuits are huge, specializing in the genetics of despair and the stigma related to psychological well being.⁠
A revered tutorial, he serves as a Professor of Psychiatry and Psychopharmacology at Ahmadu Bello University. His management roles embody Nationwide Secretary of the West African Faculty of Physicians (Nigeria) and President of Nigeria’s Organic Psychiatry Society.
Professor Sheikh has performed a pivotal position in shaping key insurance policies, contributing to the Nationwide Psychological Well being Coverage (2013, 2023), the Nationwide Suicide Prevention Strategic Framework (2023), and the Kaduna State Psychological Well being Service Supply Coverage (2015).
As a former President of the Affiliation of Psychiatrists in Nigeria (APN), Professor Sheikh has been a number one voice within the push to decriminalize tried suicide in Nigeria and advocate for psychological well being reform, main the group that contributed to the passage of the Nationwide Psychological Well being Act in 2021, which marked a major overhaul of the nation’s outdated psychological well being legal guidelines.

By culturally delicate initiatives and open dialogue, Professor Sheikh has labored tirelessly to problem misconceptions about psychological well being in Nigeria.

His profession displays a dedication to remodeling healthcare methods and driving authorities motion to enhance psychological well being providers nationwide.

Notice: The personalities featured on this compilation have been fastidiously chosen by a distinguished panel of editors, specialists, and analysts at Nairametrics. You will need to notice that not one of the people listed have solicited their inclusion.

Whereas this checklist goals to be complete, it’s certainly not exhaustive; quite a few different contributors have performed vital roles within the healthcare sector in Nigeria. This compilation is unique to Nairametrics and could also be up to date periodically to replicate adjustments and developments within the discipline. Suggestions will likely be appreciated.