FIC Report (Nasarawa State) – The Federal University of Lafia Teaching Hospital (FUTH) says it is intensifying research efforts to improve healthcare outcomes and enhance service delivery to patients.
Dr Hassan Ikrama, Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the hospital, disclosed this in Lafia during the hospital’s maiden Scientific Conference themed: “Advancing Healthcare Through Evidence to Global Standards.”
Ikrama said that the hospital was committed to strengthening research, one of its three core mandates alongside service delivery and training of healthcare personnel.
According to him, research has remained the weakest mandate in many healthcare institutions across the country, hence the deliberate efforts by FUTH to bridge the gap.
He said that Nigeria’s healthcare system largely depended on research findings generated in foreign countries, where environmental, social and psychological conditions differ significantly from those in Africa.
“The healthcare system in the country is largely a consumer of research outcomes conducted in foreign countries using foreign populations whose living conditions, psychology and environment are different from ours.
“Perhaps, that is one reason some drugs and treatment approaches produce side effects or fail to yield the desired outcomes in our environment.
“We want to invest in robust local research using our own experts to generate homegrown medical evidence that reflects our environment, genetic makeup and psychology for better healthcare outcomes,” he said.
The CMD added that the hospital would provide researchers with the necessary support and encouragement to generate data that would guide the development of effective medical solutions.
Ikrama noted that countries such as the United States and China had recorded remarkable achievements in various sectors due to sustained investment in research and innovation.
He commended President Bola Tinubu for recent reforms aimed at strengthening research and development, particularly the plan to commit more than N500 million annually to research beginning from 2027.
According to him, the initiative will contribute significantly to national development and improve healthcare delivery in the country.
Also speaking, Prof. Mustapha Umar-Imam, Director, Centre for Vaccine Research and Biotechnology at the hospital, said Africa accounted for about 25 per cent of the global disease burden but continued to rely heavily on foreign research outcomes for treatment and disease management.
Umar-Imam said the hospital had commenced efforts to generate local data through rigorous research to support evidence-based healthcare delivery.
He, however, identified inadequate funding as the major challenge facing research and called on governments at all levels to invest more resources in the sector.
According to him, any nation that invests heavily in research is investing in the future and prosperity of its people.
He commended the management of the hospital for prioritising research and creating a platform for scientific engagement aimed at improving healthcare delivery.
ARI, LIMAN AMINU.
HEAD OF CENTRE,
FIC, LAFIA.
