By Bunmi Yekini
Nigeria must invest in quality medical education and train health professionals to meet the country’s changing healthcare needs if it hopes to achieve universal health coverage, the Provost of the College of Medicine, University of Lagos (CMUL), Prof. Ademola Oremosu, has said.
Oremosu made the call on Thursday at the ninth Felix Dosekun Memorial Lecture, held as part of the college’s 2026 Week celebrations in Lagos.
The lecture, themed “Quality Medical Education as a Pillar for Achieving Universal Health Coverage,” focused on the role of medical training in ensuring access to quality healthcare without exposing patients to financial hardship.
Oremosu said universal health coverage was an ambitious but achievable goal, stressing that investments in healthcare would deliver meaningful results only if supported by a competent health workforce.
He said medical education must adapt to Nigeria’s evolving health challenges, including emerging diseases, non-communicable diseases, maternal and child health concerns, and persistent gaps in primary healthcare.
The provost described the Felix Dosekun Memorial Lecture as an important platform for shaping discussions on medical education, public policy and healthcare development.
He said the lecture series, established in honour of the late medical educationist, had produced communiques that had informed policy discussions, curriculum reviews and the wider national health debate.
Guest lecturer Prof. Francis Faduyile, a senator representing Ondo South, said the quality of healthcare delivered to Nigerians depended significantly on the quality of professionals trained by medical institutions.
Faduyile called for a shift from doctor-centred training to a health-system-centred approach that prepares medical professionals for clinical practice, public health, leadership, communication and the use of technology.
He urged medical schools to expose students to communities and primary healthcare facilities, as well as disease prevention, research and the everyday health challenges confronting Nigerians outside tertiary hospitals.
Medical curricula should also incorporate artificial intelligence, digital health, telemedicine, electronic medical records and health-data analytics to prepare graduates for changes in healthcare delivery, he said.
“We must train doctors not merely for the healthcare system we inherited, but for the healthcare system our population will need tomorrow,” Faduyile said.
He described investment in medical education as an investment in Nigeria’s health future, urging governments, medical schools and other stakeholders to work together to produce competent, compassionate and adaptable professionals.
Prof. Udoka Okafor, chairman of the publicity committee for the event and chairman of the College of Medicine Alumni Association, called for increased funding for healthcare and medical education to improve access to and the quality of services.
Okafor also raised concerns over the migration of Nigerian medical professionals to other countries in search of better opportunities, saying insecurity, economic difficulties and inadequate healthcare infrastructure needed to be addressed.
He encouraged young professionals moving abroad to acquire additional skills and experience and consider returning to contribute to Nigeria’s health system, particularly through investments in underserved rural communities.
In a goodwill message, Prof. Akin Osibogun, a college alumnus and former chief medical director of Lagos University Teaching Hospital, described CMUL as an institution that had produced accomplished professionals.
The event also featured awards for individuals who had served the college for 35 years or longer, in recognition of their contributions to the institution.