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By Muinat Usman
Federal, State, and Local Governments have been urged to increase budgetary allocations to the health sector to enhance service delivery and strengthen capacity building.
Chairman of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Kwara State branch, Professor Abdulrahman Afolabi, made the call at a press conference marking the 2025 Physicians’ Week.
Represented by the Vice Chairman, Dr. Ayinde Musa, Professor Afolabi emphasized that genuine healthcare reform must begin with sound policy formulation, adequate resource allocation, infrastructural development, personnel training, and quality service delivery aimed at improving patient outcomes.
He noted that Nigeria’s healthcare system continues to grapple with challenges such as inadequate financing, policy inconsistencies, and the brain drain of medical professionals.
The NMA Chairman also advocated for greater involvement of healthcare practitioners—particularly those on the frontline—in policy-making processes.
He stressed the need for equitable access to quality healthcare, urging providers to ensure that patients receive the right care, at the right time, by the right team, using the right resources.
Professor Afolabi charged members of the association to uphold the highest professional standards and ethics in the discharge of their duties.
NMA Cautions Against Replacing Human Intelligence with AI in Healthcare
Meanwhile, the Association cautioned medical practitioners against overdependence on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare delivery.
Speaking with newsmen in Ilorin, the NMA Vice Chairman, Dr. Ayinde Musa, said AI should be used to complement the medical profession, not replace it.
Dr. Musa emphasized that no algorithm can replicate the compassion, moral reasoning, and trust that define the physician–patient relationship.
He urged physicians to play an active role in shaping technological advancements in medicine, warning against becoming passive observers.
According to him, doctors have a moral responsibility to ensure that technology continues to serve humanity rather than humanity becoming subservient to technology.
While acknowledging that AI offers prospects of greater efficiency and accessibility in healthcare, Dr. Musa noted that it also presents significant ethical and professional concerns that must be addressed with caution and foresight.
The theme for this year’s Physicians’ Week is “Healthcare as a Value Chain: Building Efficiency from Policy to Patient.”
Edited by Abdullahi Ahmed
