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By Muinat Usman
The Kwara State branch of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has called for stronger political commitment to healthcare reforms, saying effective leadership and evidence-based public policies are critical to improving healthcare delivery across Nigeria.
The Chairman of the association, Professor Abdulrahman O. Afolabi, made the call while addressing journalists at the opening of the 2026 Annual General Meeting of the association in Ilorin on Monday.
The conference, which began with a thanksgiving service on Sunday, has as its theme, “Medicine, Leadership and Public Policy: The Political Influence on Healthcare,” with the sub-theme, “Referral System in Medical Practice: Current Practice, Challenges and the Way Forward.”
Professor Afolabi said healthcare delivery depends not only on the competence of medical professionals but also on government policies relating to healthcare financing, workforce development, infrastructure, health insurance, medical education and access to essential medicines.
He stressed that political leadership plays a decisive role in shaping a resilient and responsive health system.
He described an effective referral system as a cornerstone of quality healthcare, noting that it enables patients to receive appropriate care at the right level and at the right time through seamless coordination among primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities.
According to him, strengthening referral and counter-referral protocols, improving communication among healthcare providers, ensuring proper documentation, expanding ambulance and emergency transport services, deploying digital health information systems and addressing manpower shortages would reduce delays in accessing specialist care, decongest tertiary hospitals and improve patient outcomes.
The NMA chairman disclosed that experts at the conference, led by keynote speaker Professor T. M. Afolayan, would examine the challenges confronting Nigeria’s referral system and develop practical recommendations to strengthen healthcare delivery in Kwara State and across the country.
Professor Afolayan commended the Kwara State Government for its investments in health infrastructure, revitalisation of primary healthcare centres, expansion of health insurance coverage and recruitment of healthcare workers.
He also acknowledged the contributions of the State House of Assembly, the Ministry of Health, the Hospital Management Board, Kwara State University Teaching Hospital, the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, private healthcare providers, development partners and non-governmental organisations to improving healthcare services in the state.
While appreciating these efforts, the association called for sustained investment in emergency medical services, digital health technologies, specialist manpower development, healthcare financing and the strengthening of the referral system.
It also urged governments at all levels to involve healthcare professionals in the formulation, implementation and evaluation of health policies, describing evidence-based policymaking as essential for sustainable healthcare reforms.
The NMA reaffirmed its commitment to promoting the welfare of medical practitioners, improving working conditions, supporting continuous professional development and advocating quality, affordable, equitable and patient-centred healthcare for all Nigerians.
It assured residents of Kwara State that medical doctors would continue to provide ethical and quality healthcare services despite the challenges facing the sector, expressing optimism that the conference would produce actionable recommendations to advance healthcare delivery in Kwara State and Nigeria.
Editing: Abdullah Ahmed
