ACIOE Associates partnered with The Nigeria Health Watch to host a Healthcare Excellence Roundtable Forum themed ‘Healthcare Infrastructural Preparedness – Focusing on Laboratory and Pharmaceuticals for Healthcare Emergencies at the Sub- National Level’ during the recently concluded MedLab West Africa event at the Landmark Event Centre Lagos.

In his keynote address, Dr Bordiya Buma appreciated the organizers of the forum and appealed to the attending stakeholders to not hold back in the discussion on healthcare infrastructural preparedness, focusing on laboratories and pharmaceuticals for healthcare emergencies at the sub-national level. He highlighted Taraba state governments efforts to strengthen HRH in the state as a medium to build healthcare capacity as training is essential to sustainability of the states health care infrastructure which is key to unlock the healthcare value chain in the state.

Some highlights of the discussion Kano state’s current project building the largest Centre for Disease Control KCDC, in the northwest to help understand and manage epidemiology in the state. Benue state’s work on creating more PHC to create a better accessibility to healthcare for the people of the state. He commented that this was a good time for investors to indicate their interest to support and collaborate with the state, citing that investors should have a more involved and long-term investment approach to working with the government as there is need for the stage and its investors to collaboratively look at the healthcare needs and be realistic with financial expectations form the state.

Dr Gazali Attahiru, Director of Drugs and Medical Supplies Sokoto State appreciated the partners for their support towards ensuring that the issue is treated urgently, and everything is returned to normalcy.

Dr Ifeyinwa Blossum Uma-Kalu iterated the governor’s commitment to improving healthcare infrastructure Abia state and his openness to collaboration with investors to unlock the value chain in Abia state. Dr Julius Okunzuwa, representative of the Commission of Health Edo state, highlighted that Edo state has the best digitalized structure and is digitalizing the entire public service structure.

Investors appealed to the states to created more sustainable objective as projects and investments run into stagnancy with the change or transition of governments due to lack of continuity and proper infrastructure maintenance.