Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Tuesday decried the state of health care in Nigeria, lamenting that millions of citizens still trek long distances to access medical services, with many losing their lives to preventable conditions.
He described it as unacceptable that, in an era defined by artificial intelligence, a Nigerian child could still die of malaria simply because her mother could not afford the trip to the nearest health facility.
He said this at the unveiling of Care365 Health Hub, chaired by a former Head of State, Gen Abdulsalami Abubakar, in Abuja.
The hub is a transformative health care innovation conceived in the United States and now launched in Nigeria.
It is designed to transform healthcare access and delivery, including the Care365 Health Monitoring Kiosk — a smart self-service device for instant vital checks such as blood pressure, blood sugar, BMI, oxygen level, and more.
Obasanjo, who was the chairman of the occasion, noted that the initiative speaks directly to the heart of one of the critical national challenges in the country.
“When I reflect on the Nigeria we envisioned at independence, and even more so during my years of service in government, health care was never meant to be a luxury for the privileged or the urban elite. It was to be a fundamental right.
“Millions of Nigerians still walk miles to reach a health post. Still, many die from preventable situations and conditions, and still more live in places where the nearest doctor is hours away, often reachable only by bad roads,” he lamented.
He, however, stated that Care365 is not just a technological solution but also a game-changer which will ease access to healthcare, even in rural areas.
“What we are launching today will take care of even rural communities. This is not a favour to the poor. It is our responsibility as leaders, policymakers, patriots, and community leaders.
“It is no longer acceptable that, in the age of artificial intelligence and space tourism, a Nigerian child should die of malaria because her mother couldn’t afford to travel to the nearest health facility. It is unacceptable that young people in remote communities go blind untreated because there’s no eye clinic.
“These are not just failures of infrastructure; they are failures of empathy and leadership at all levels. Care365 reminds us that technology can and should be human, that innovation should uplift, not isolate. Technology should promote inclusion and make health services accessible to all,” he said.
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