By Adeola Badru 

Healthcare providers across Nigeria are facing increasing financial pressure as limited access to affordable credit and banking services continues to undermine service delivery, industry stakeholders have warned.

Operators said many hospitals, pharmacies, laboratories and clinics are struggling to manage rising operating costs, delayed reimbursements, supplier payments and inventory financing, leaving healthcare businesses with inadequate working capital to sustain and expand their operations.

The concerns were raised at a healthcare stakeholders’ meeting held in Ibadan, where participants stressed that improving access to finance has become critical to strengthening Nigeria’s healthcare system.

Speaking at the meeting, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Medikia Finance, Adebamijo Adebiyi, said many healthcare providers remained excluded from financial products designed to support the unique cash-flow realities of the sector.

“Healthcare providers play a critical role in delivering care to millions of Nigerians, yet many continue to operate with limited access to financial solutions designed around the realities of healthcare businesses.“

Closing this financing gap is essential to strengthening healthcare delivery and improving the resilience of the sector,” he said.

Adebiyi said the company had introduced a financial platform to provide healthcare providers with business banking services, payment infrastructure, payroll management, invoice financing, healthcare credit facilities and an artificial intelligence-powered credit assessment system aimed at improving their access to finance.

He disclosed that more than N12 million had been invested in developing the platform, regulatory compliance, infrastructure and market research before its beta launch, adding that over 300 healthcare providers nationwide had already expressed interest in the initiative.

According to him, the platform also included a Smart Point-of-Sale terminal designed for healthcare providers to integrate payment processing with banking services, collections, settlements and financing options.

Also speaking, Lead POS Hardware Engineer at Medikia Finance, Idowu Adebiyi, said reliable financial infrastructure is becoming increasingly important for healthcare institutions seeking to improve operational efficiency.

“Healthcare providers require dependable payment infrastructure every day. Beyond processing payments, the system is designed to connect healthcare businesses with banking services, digital collections, business intelligence and financial products that support their day-to-day operations,” he said.

Meanwhile, stakeholders maintained that addressing financing constraints within the healthcare sector would enhance the sustainability of healthcare businesses, encourage investment in medical infrastructure and ultimately improve access to quality healthcare services across the country.