The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi has called for more private sector participation in the state’s over-stretched healthcare sector. Speaking at the ICTEL EXPO with on the theme “Developing Efficiency and Competency in the Digital Age”, the Commissioner noted the advancements made in other key sectors of the economy, with emerging technologies in the education, mobility, financial technology and telecommunications space transforming our way of lives and attracting increasing amounts of foreign investment and local talents.
In his remarks, he stated: “We have seen how the likes of Paystack and Flutterwave accelerated the growth of e-commerce, and how companies like Uber and Bolt have changed the way we move around. While start-ups like Helium Health and FIDIO have also made significant progress in providing innovative healthcare solutions, investment in the space is still lagging.”
“We are aware companies like FIDIO who have already made investments in the sector, leveraging technology to facilitate the delivery of basic healthcare services to thousands of patients within the state. We commend them for the impact they have had on the lives of ordinary Lagosians and we believe more investment from them and others in other communities within the same scale of support will immediately help to reduce the burden on state health facilities. The infrastructure as it stands today cannot scale in line with our population. The ministry will continue to enable innovation in the sector.”
The Lagos State Government had earlier proposed special incentives for investors in critical sectors like healthcare, transportation and agriculture.
