By Funmilayo Adeyemi
The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) says it is introducing a Special Intervention in Medical Simulation and Innovation under its 2025 Intervention.
Chairman of the TETFund Board of Trustees, Alhaji Aminu Masari, said this while inaugurating the Ad hoc Committee on Medical Simulation and Innovation Special Intervention on Tuesday in Abuja.
Masari said the move, as part of the fund’s commitment to support the government’s efforts to transform Nigeria’s healthcare system, would, among other things, address patient safety and quality of care.
He emphasised the importance of medical training and research, describing them as critical to the sustenance of any society.
“Accordingly, considering the state of our public healthcare system, investment in healthcare innovation is urgently needed in Nigeria’s healthcare system to leapfrog to world-class medical practice.
“Thus, two areas of healthcare innovation would make the biggest impact, namely medical simulation and digital health (telemedicine and remote patient care).
“Investment in these two critical areas of medical innovation simultaneously is essential for maximum benefits.
“Simulation-based learning is a state-of-the-art approach to the education and training of healthcare personnel across all fields of medicine.
“It offers a unique opportunity to create realistic scenarios where healthcare professionals can practice their skills in a safe and controlled environment,” he said.
Speaking on the benefits of medical simulation, Masari said it would address patient safety and quality of care and reduce unsafe practices that could lead to serious morbidities and/or mortality.
The chairman added that it would further save costs of healthcare by reducing medical errors, which could be very costly, and reducing preventable medical errors.
He also said that medical simulation would address the manpower shortage in Nigeria with a doctor-to-patient ratio of 1:9083 by upscaling healthcare workers.
According to him, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends a 1:600 ratio, so this will support efforts to migrate to an integrated medical curriculum and improve proficiency in several clinical skills by medical graduates rather than mere acquisition of knowledge.
“Digital healthcare (telemedicine and remote patient care) would significantly improve access to medical care by Nigerians using digital platforms that allow medical practitioners to examine and treat patients at any distance.
“Improvements in wifi technology and data penetration would enable these efforts. Patients in remote areas and small cities can be reviewed by experienced medical experts from anywhere in Nigeria, and in fact, the entire world.”
He said the ad hoc committee is chaired by a world-renowned neurosurgeon, Prof. Wale Sulaiman.
Other members of the committee are Prof. Enoch Uche, Dr. Kabir Mustapha, Prof. Hadiza Galandanci, Dr. Lawrence Appah, Prof. Babagana Bako, and Dr. Femi Owagbemi as secretary.
Masari said members of the committee were carefully selected based on their individual capacities as professionals who would work collectively as a team to deliver on the task.
He said the committee had eight weeks to, among other things, conduct a gap analysis of medical simulation in Nigeria as well as a gap analysis of healthcare innovation in Nigeria.
The BoT Chairman also announced that the fund is sponsoring the provision of four central multi-purpose laboratories in the University of Lagos, Bayero University, Kano, the University of Port Harcourt, and the University of Abuja under its 2023 and 2024 interventions.
He said the labs were part of the key research facilities needed to promote the creation of an enabling environment to enhance impactful and innovative research outputs.
He explained that the move was part of efforts towards enhancing research facilities and infrastructure in its beneficiary institutions.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Mr. Sonny Echono, said that effort was being made to improve the enrolment of staff in medical faculties.
Echono said that the simulation technology would assist regulatory institutions in the Medical and Dental Council to increase the quota of each institution for more intakes.
“Medicine and Health Sciences remain the single most sought-out programs by students based on JAMB records in our tertiary institutions, and currently less than 7 percent of those who qualify get admitted because of this constraint,” Echono said.
On his part, the chairman of the committee, Suleiman, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, expressed gratitude for their appointment and pledged to deliver on the assignment.