The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has unveiled a new initiative aimed at transforming Nigeria’s healthcare system through advanced medical simulation and digital health innovation.
Speaking on Tuesday, the TETFund’s Board Chairman, Aminu Bello Masari said the intervention is set to improve patient safety, healthcare training, and access to care across the country.
“The state of our public healthcare system demands urgent investment in innovation,” Masari stated at the inauguration of the Ad-Hoc Committee on Medical Simulation and Innovation in Abuja. “Medical simulation and digital health technologies, including telemedicine, will be key to leapfrogging Nigeria’s medical practice to a world-class standard.”
The initiative, under the 2025 TETFund intervention, will focus on enhancing the training of healthcare professionals using simulation-based learning, a cutting-edge method that allows for realistic, risk-free practice.
Masari noted that simulation helps to address common medical errors, improve critical thinking, and reduce the high patient mortality rates caused by unsafe medical practices.
The initiative also highlights telemedicine’s potential in addressing Nigeria’s doctor-to-patient ratio, which currently stands at a staggering 1:9,083, far above the World Health Organisation’s recommended 1:600.
“By embracing digital healthcare, remote consultations and AI-enabled diagnostics can make healthcare more accessible, especially in underserved areas,” Masari added.
The committee, led by renowned neurosurgeon, Prof. Wale Sulaiman, will conduct gap analyses and propose solutions to bridge healthcare innovation gaps.
TETFund will also sponsor the construction of four central medical laboratories across Nigerian universities to enhance research and reduce the need for international collaboration.
“The medical simulation technology will address constraints in medical faculty enrolments and improve educational opportunities for students in health sciences,” said TETFund Executive Secretary, Arc. Sonny Echono.
