Abuja: Prof. Daprim-Samuel Ogaji of the University of Port Harcourt has called on the Federal Government to establish a sustainable system for maintaining medical equipment to improve healthcare delivery. Ogaji, Director of the Africa Centre of Excellence in Public Health and Toxicology Research (ACE-PUTOR), made the call in Abuja at the 11th Scientific Conference and Annual General Meeting of the Intensive and Critical Care Society of Nigeria (I-CCSN). The conference’s theme was ‘Sustainable Financing for Intensive Care Units (ICUs) in Public Health Facilities: Challenges, Opand Solutions.’ It also included sessions on data in critical care, sepsis management in Nigeria, and mechanical ventilation in low-resource settings.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Ogaji emphasized the necessity of a structured maintenance system due to the high cost of medical equipment and the need to ensure optimal use of available resources. He stressed that every Nigerian should have access to critical healthcare services when needed, regardless of economic status. Ogaji urged policymakers and decision-makers to make healthcare accessible, noting that the financial burden of illness is often unexpected. He advocated for building an efficient health system as one of the outcomes of the conference.
Ogaji highlighted that government budgets at the federal and state levels are the primary source of healthcare financing. He noted that inadequate funding has serious consequences for patients and public health facilities. Sustainable financing, according to him, means providing adequate funding consistently year after year. He called for the government to ensure that the healthy and wealthy cross-subsidise care for the sick and poor while increasing health sector allocations at both federal and state levels. Deliberate policies to make Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) work and systems that support effective service delivery by the Federal Ministry of Health were also recommended. He suggested integrating intensive care services into Nigeria’s Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
In addition, Dr Job-Gogo Otokwala, President of I-CCSN, called for dedicated and protected funding for intensive care services in public health facilities. He urged hospital management to invest strategically in infrastructure, equipment maintenance, workforce retention, and clinical governance. Otokwala also sought enduring partnerships with development partners and industry to support research, innovation, education, and sustainable capacity development.
Dr Harrison Nwogu, Chairman of the Local Organising Committee, announced the inauguration of the Maj.-Gen. Obashina Ogunbiyi Lecture Series. He commended the conference sponsors, collaborators, participants, and the conference chairman, Dr Olalekan Olatise, Medical Director of Zenith Medical and Kidney Centre, Abuja, for supporting the successful hosting of the event.