By Joseph Edegbo
The Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has been named the Health Tech Governor of the Year at the Nigerian Healthcare Excellence Award (NHEA) Y2022 held at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos Island.
The award was in recognition of the Lagos State Government’s outstanding application of technology to solve health problems and improve citizens’ quality of life.
In his address after receiving the award, Sanwo-Olu said his administration is poised to maximise the use of technology in driving an efficient healthcare delivery system that offers qualitative, affordable and accessible health service delivery to citizens.
The Governor, who was represented by the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, explained how the State Government leveraged technology in its COVID response, noting that the importance of technology in health service delivery is immeasurable.
While thanking the organisers of the award for acknowledging his administration’s efforts at birthing an all-inclusive healthcare system that leverages technology to improve the quality of life, Sanwo-Olu noted the efficient use of technology by the State government to achieve good health outcomes was made possible through a handshake with the private sector in line with his administration’s public-private partnership strategy.
He explained that despite the plethora of challenges confronting the health sector, public and private sector providers and industry players still find innovative ways at every point in time to confront the challenges and overcome public health shocks as well as crises that the country keeps facing.
His words: “We do this for one reason, we do this because we’re Nigerians and we love Nigeria, and we do this because we are custodians of good health and well-being and it is our responsibility to keep our patients healthy and well.
“I think it’s important to recognise achievements in the health sector; and as one who is charged with the responsibility of charting the future of the healthcare space in Lagos State, I must say that I’m proud of the contributions and support provided to us by the private sector.
“Throughout COVID, the government of Lagos State relied heavily on the resources, the intellect, and the services of the private sector. It is my hope that the private sector providers will continue to respond kindly and promptly to the call of government whenever the need arises”
Sanwo-Olu congratulated other awardees and thanked them for their contribution to the practice of Health Care in Lagos and in Nigeria, adding that their giant strides continue to inspire not just the present generation, but future generations.
Earlier, the Chairman Advisory Board of NHEA, Dr. Anthony Omolola, stated that the special recognition award for the Health Tech Governor of the Year was an acknowledgement of the unique way Lagos State Government has leveraged the use of technology to improve delivery and increase access to quality, affordable and efficient health care services to the populace.
According to him, Lagos was the first to develop an e-Health strategy and the first public sector organisation in Nigeria to be Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) compliant.
He listed other outstanding health technology applications that earned Governor Sanwo-Olu the award including the ‘Eko Telemed’ service; automation of secondary and tertiary health facilities in the State; promotion and development of Lagos Smart Health Information Platform (LASHIP) and setting up of an Incident Command System prior to the outbreak of COVID in Nigeria.
The Chairman explained that NHEA is an annual event that celebrates distinguished personalities and organisations who have contributed immensely to the growth of the Nigerian health sector, adding that the award started in 2014 and has become a high-profile event in the healthcare industry.
Meanwhile, the General Hospital Agbowa also received an award for the most active facility on the Safecare Quality Platform during the award ceremony.
