Panelists seek patient-driven care, stronger accountability in healthsector

He noted that with his over 25 years of experience in patient experience, quality governance, and public engagement in the UK's NHS, a structured system to capture patient voices in Nigeria had become imperative.

Thomas said the platform would create a safe space for Nigerians to share their healthcare experiences and ensure that such feedback is channelled to those in positions to effect change.

Reinforcing government backing for the initiative, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to building a people-centred, equitable, and responsive healthcare system.

Represented by Professor Wasiu Lanre Adeyemo, Chief Medical Director of Lagos University Teaching Hospital, the minister described patient experience as a critical pillar of health sector reform. He noted that initiatives such as MyVoiceMyHealth would support transparency, accountability, and data-driven decision-making across both public and private health facilities.

He added that the government would continue to provide policy direction and strengthen regulatory frameworks to ensure that digital health innovations align with national standards and priorities.

The panel session, moderated by Dr. Hameed Adediran, a Johns Hopkins-trained medical practitioner and Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health, included discussants from public health, family medicine, private medical practice, and the medical-legal space.

A key theme that emerged from the discussion was the need to treat patients as active participants rather than passive recipients. Panelists noted that healthcare providers often operate with the mindset that they are doing patients a favour, a perception they said undermines quality service delivery.

They stressed that care should be driven by the actual needs, experiences, and feedback of patients, rather than assumptions made by providers, while also emphasising the importance of listening to patients.

Speakers shared personal and professional experiences where poor communication and disregard for patient input led to negative outcomes, reinforcing the need for a more holistic approach that considers not just clinical diagnosis but also the social, emotional, and cultural realities of patients.

Concerns were also raised about staff attitude, long waiting times, and weak communication, which panelists identified as recurring challenges affecting patient experience in Nigeria.

They noted that even in well-equipped facilities, negative interactions between patients and providers could erode confidence in the health system.

Panelists highlighted technology as a critical tool in bridging these gaps, noting that digital platforms such as MyVoiceMyHealth would provide a structured and accessible channel for real-time feedback, particularly in environments where supervision is limited.

However, they cautioned that feedback systems must be backed by enforcement, stressing that failure to act on complaints could weaken public trust.

An emotional account from a participant on alleged medical negligence further reinforced the urgency of strengthening accountability mechanisms and ensuring a timely response to patient complaints.

In their recommendations, they called for widespread adoption of feedback platforms, continuous training of healthcare workers on patient engagement, stronger regulatory oversight, and a data-driven approach to decision-making.

A detailed demonstration of the MyVoiceMyHealth platform by Adelola Alao, Head of Digital Platforms and Innovation at i4nnova, showed that the system enables users to submit feedback as patients, caregivers, health workers, or institutional representatives, either for themselves or on behalf of others.

The platform captures multiple categories of input, including complaints, compliments, safety incidents, and general observations, while also collecting demographic data to help identify patterns across age groups, gender, and user categories.

It is supported by a dashboard that aggregates responses in real time, highlighting trends such as top complaints, service gaps, and areas of strong performance across facilities. With over 51,000 healthcare facilities already listed in its database, the system allows regulators and stakeholders to track performance, compare institutions, and target interventions where they are most needed.

Early insights from pilot use indicated recurring issues such as poor staff attitude, long waiting times, and critical care concerns, alongside positive feedback on the quality of care and facility environment in some centres.