By Chioma Obinna

A Professor of Anatomy and Consultant Reproductive Endocrinologist, Prof Oladapo Ashiru, on Thursday, charged the Federal government to urgently key into the integration of Artificial Intelligence, AI, in healthcare to enable the sector to deliver top-notch healthcare services to Nigerians.

Ashiru who was a guest lecturer at the College of Medicine at the University of Lagos, CMUL, 61st Founders Day lecture in Lagos said the adoption of 5G technology can revolutionise Nigeria’s digital landscape by enabling faster and more reliable internet connectivity as well as pave way for innovations in various sectors including healthcare, education and smart cities.

“Stressing the need for the Internet of Things, (IoT), he said: “IoT has the potential to transform industries and enhance everyday life. Embrace IoT technologies can lead to smarter infrastructure, more efficient resource management and improved healthcare and education.|”

He noted that the future of digital innovation in healthcare and medical education was incredibly promising and Nigeria holds significant potential with several key areas requiring attention and development to ensure progress.

At the event which is also the 17th Horoatio Oritsejolomi Thomas, HOT, Lecture, entitled: Transforming Healthcare And Medical Education through Digital Innovations: From AI – Assisted Interventions to Edutech”, he said: “Digital healthcare innovation is the wave of the future and it is already happening.”

Further, he called for the activation of the Nigeria Medical Institute Bill, adding that, it can help regulate and improve medical education and healthcare standards in the country.

“The government need to quickly pass the bill on the National Medical Research Institute for the country to have a body that controls medical research and they will coordinate and collect tax from pharmaceutical industries as well as industries that make alcohol and cigarettes and use them for research. The medical research fund should not be like that of education which anybody can access. Medicine fund should stand alone and that will make us upgrade to automation that is going on worldwide, if not we will be behind. Already some countries are doing this automation for medical surgeries. They are conducting robotic surgeries. With the Robotic machines, the surgeon can manipulate it from anywhere.

“Investing in medical research is crucial for advancing healthcare in Nigeria. Allocating funds to support research initiatives can lead to breakthroughs in disease prevention, treatment and healthcare,” he stated.

Calling for resuscitation of ICT centres at educational institutions, he said: “AI is already evident in IVF treatments as it has the potential to optimise patient selection, improve embryo assessment, streamline laboratory processes and provide valuable support and information to patients, transcending the limitations of individual knowledge and expertise in reproductive medicine.”

He disclosed that automation is now being used in fertilising, stating that it has revolutionised the industry with Nigeria now producing 7000 IVF circles with over 160 IVF centres.

He said also that medical education has helped in improving medical education as the country now has 80 professors of anatomy.

Speaking, the Minister of State for Health, Dr Tunji Alausa pledged government commitment to digitalising the healthcare system, adding that AI in medicine will help improve the quality of healthcare and ultimately lead to a reduction in the cost of healthcare.

Alausa said he is working tirelessly to interrogate the health data architecture in Nigeria with a view of translating the data into one critical aspect of healthcare industrialisation.

Speaking on the Founder’s Day, the Provost of CMUL, Prof David Adewale Oke, stated that the efforts of the founding fathers of the college have laid a strong track record of its triple mandate of teaching, research and service.

He disclosed that the Horatio Oritsejolomi Thomas, HOT, foundation since establishment in 2006 and the HOT’s family have been providing bursary support to bonafide students of the College who have reached 2nd MB or its equivalent (300 level) and unable to complete the degree course because of lack of funding.

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Prof Folasade Ogunsola explained that the lecture was in honour of the founding fathers and showcased their great works which they would continue to build on. She said the agenda of the college was to make the institution future-ready, yielding inquiring minds, discovering the sound character and globally impactful workforce.