FORMER Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan, including former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, on Tuesday, September 2, urged the Nigerian government to back a health initiative – Care365 Health Hub product.
Care365 Health Hub product is a new digital product aimed at providing accessible and affordable healthcare solutions for Nigerians.
The launch, held in Abuja under the theme “Enhancing Universal Health Coverage in Nigeria through Innovation and Technology”, brought together policymakers, regulators, and private sector actors to deliberate on fresh approaches to Nigeria’s troubled health sector.
Delivering his address as chairman of the occasion, Obasanjo described the Care365 Health Hub as “a social justice tool, a game changer, and health security,” insisting that healthcare must no longer be a privilege for the few.
“Millions of Nigerians still walk miles to reach a health facility. Many die from preventable conditions,” he said, adding, “This product is not just a technological tool, it is a social justice, a game changer, a health security and moral declaration that no matter who you are, where you live, or how much you earn, you deserve care.”
Obasanjo further commended the simplicity and practicality of the innovation, which he said encapsulated a smart kiosk designed as a miniature hospital, equipped with artificial intelligence, telemedicine connectivity, and trained community health workers.
According to him, the system will enable patients in remote and rural areas to access professional advice, diagnosis, and affordable treatment from trained community health workers.
He urged the federal and state governments to integrate the platform into the country’s primary healthcare system.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, who commissioned the product, noted that the hub represented a practical solution to the country’s persistent challenges.
He described the initiative as timely, and much-needed, stressing that it aligned with the President Bola Tinubu administration’s four-pillar health reform agenda.
He listed the four pillars as stronger governance, improved health outcomes, unlocking the healthcare value chain, and ensuring health security.
“This hub represents a very practical solution to one of our most persistent challenges, ensuring that quality health services are available and affordable to all Nigerians, especially those in underserved and poor communities,” Pate said.
“It is an opportunity for our healthcare system to improve, and it fits squarely within the context of what this administration is trying to do. The transformation of our healthcare system is underway,” he added.
Pate stressed the importance of digital technology in driving reform.
“The cross-cutting enabler of all of these pillars is digital transformation, allowing us to organise, use technology to reform.”
Similarly, Jonathan linked the initiative to the global digital revolution and stressed the importance of young Nigerians driving solutions.
“What I want to say is that this gives us the opportunity to work with Nigerian young men and women who are good in technology, to come up with different products like this to move our country forward,” he said.
Nigeria’s former military leader, Abubakar, also lent his voice, calling the initiative timely, given Nigeria’s persistent struggle with quality healthcare delivery.
He emphasised that innovations like Care365 would enable more Nigerians to receive quality care.
On his part, the Care365 Executive Director, Ngozi Odumuko, a doctor, noted that the product was the first of its kind in Nigeria, built to connect local and international providers into a single ecosystem of care.
“The reason for this mission is to make accessible healthcare, affordable healthcare, and quality healthcare available to the citizens of Nigeria,” he said.
“Through this, we developed a system that connects to applications. You’re able to download this on your phone and connect to doctors in America, Europe, Asia, and Nigeria to discuss your healthcare needs.”
According to him, the mobile kiosk is able to check people’s vitals and conduct tests connected directly to the application, which allows doctors to assess and carry out clinical examinations.
The event also featured panel discussions, comprising regulators such as the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), insurers, and private sector stakeholders, who emphasised the need for innovation and technology to complement government efforts in achieving universal health coverage.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M