Ahmed-digital doc- Otokiti MD, MBA, MPH,FAMIA

Its time to make bold decisions to stabilize healthcare. We need innovation, new ideas, and evidence-based policy. We need change. Please see my platform here on the CMA website where I emphasize the need to prioritize primary care, human health resources, and health inequities in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities. Emergency room waits are continue to rise, access to primary care is becoming increasingly desperate, surgical backlogs persist, adult and pediatric mental health access remains elusive for many patients all while patients medical and social needs are becoming increasingly complex. The cadence of changes in healthcare issues and has been increasing significantly and I have been at the frontier nationally –  Virtual care policy and delivery (lead author)  Patient self-referrals (first to offer self-booked follow-ups in NL)  Use of AI in healthcare delivery (early adopter)  Mitigating climate change’s effects of health systems through leadership development (co-authored first implementation plan in North America)  Social accountability (second assistant Dean in Canada)  Only physician advising the Government of Canada on who would receive the very first COVID-19 vaccines at the height of the pandemic Public Health Agency of Canada’s Ethics Consultative Group. Today’s problems arise from yesterday’s decisions. We cannot keep doing more of the same. We need fresh ideas and perspectives in order to prevent collapse of healthcare system. I have been walking the talk for 15 years and have no plans to slow down Future-focused and solutions-oriented, I am ready to lead the Canadian Medical Association from day one. https://lnkd.in/eKfVen4v

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Understanding influences like costs, distances, cultural beliefs, and workforce challenges is crucial for developing tailored solutions to strengthen primary care delivery models and improve outcomes. By rigorously synthesizing existing evidence, we hope to pinpoint key obstacles and facilitators across West Africa. The findings could guide investments and interventions to enhance health equity and chronic disease management. Comprehensive examinations of context are vital for optimizing care. NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research) PLOS #PrimaryHealthCare #NCDs #Diabetes

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It's today! Join the discussion at 7pm WAT. The speaker for today’s webinar is Dr Adedamola Dada, Chief Medical Director, Federal Medical Centre Ebute-Metta, a PharmAccess SafeCare Level 4 hospital which is now paperless and a learning center for other tertiary hospitals in Nigeria. Link to register is below. #digitaltransfromation #publichealthsystems

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🌍 𝐀𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐊𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐥𝐢! 🌍 Today, I had the privilege of attending Day 1 of the first-ever 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭 organized by Informa Markets in Kigali, Rwanda. The event brought together global health leaders to reimagine the future of healthcare, and it opened with a profoundly inspiring address by 𝐃𝐫. 𝐒𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐧 𝐍𝐳𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚, 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐑𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚. One statement from his speech struck a chord with everyone in the room: "𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐧-𝐧𝐞𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞, 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐚 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭." This powerful declaration encapsulates the urgency and responsibility we all share in ensuring equitable access to healthcare for all, regardless of geography, socioeconomic status, or other barriers. Rwanda’s leadership in advancing universal health coverage and prioritizing innovation in healthcare serves as an example to the world. As we gather insights and form partnerships during this summit, it is a reminder that collaboration and commitment are essential to achieving health equity globally. Let's continue working toward a future where health is no longer a privilege, but a reality for everyone. What does “health as a human right” mean to you? Share your thoughts below! #Healthcare #GlobalHealth #UniversalHealthCoverage #Rwanda #InnovationInHealth Professor Shafi Ahmed Brian de Francesca Koen Kas Sam Amory Sally T. Tom Coleman Peter Hall Rubina Carol DSouza Mohamad Sabri Shaukat Ali Khan

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Calamity can not befall us twice as a nation. The lessons from our experience during the pandemic,#Covid19, as well as insights picked from other countries should get our Health System prepared for any future outbreak. We can no longer be caught unawares, hence, the timeliness of this paper shared below. May we all have a productive and blessed new year. #resilience #healthsystem #WHO #Globalhealth #universalhealthcoverage #Ghana #publication

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Healthcare remains significantly underfunded in Africa (receiving only 12% of investment opportunities and an even smaller fraction of investment funds), partly due to perceived risks, limited understanding of local regulatory environments, and challenges with scale. This excellent report summarizes the role of #InvestmentReadinessPrograms (IRPs) in bridging innovation and investment gaps and underscores ongoing challenges, including a lack of long-term funding models and insufficient sector-specific expertise. A lot of smarts went into bringing this together (USAID Grand Challenges Canada Open Capital Salient Advisory). The following most spoke to me based on what I've seen and heard from healthcare businesses working across the continent: ● Equity gaps: Francophone Africa and women-led businesses remain significantly underserved, limiting representation in a sector that, like any sector, needs diversity. ● Short-term funding: Many IRPs offer 9-12 months of support, which doesn’t align with the longer-term needs of health businesses navigating complex systems. ● Healthtech dominates: A disproportionate focus on healthtech overshadows other critical areas like local manufacturing, supply chains, and hospitals—key components of resilient health systems. ● Sector-specific expertise: Most programs lack the depth of expertise needed to address the nuances of public-private partnerships, regulatory hurdles, systemic integration and the diversity of the African healthcare landscape. What the report doesn’t explore in depth is the importance of strengthening the broader healthcare ecosystem in order for investments to thrive. Too often, governments are positioned as the key (or only) market to capture, creating unrealistic levels of competition among potential investments. This position overlooks the critical role of non-government actors like hospitals, manufacturers, and distributors in creating an ecosystem where innovations can thrive, not to mention eliminating the potential of groups from smaller countries to even approach the table. What are your thoughts on the role IRPs could play in strengthening and diversifying local health systems? Would this improve the potential of new innovations to generate the returns the sector needs? How can we shift from limited investment in African healthcare to unlocking its full potential?

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State-Level Advocacy for Inclusion and Synergy The Christian Health Association of Nigeria (CHAN) continues to demonstrate its commitment to advancing Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (MNCH) services by engaging stakeholders not only on national and, importantly, state levels. On-going advocacy efforts in states are strategically focused on partnerships and strengthening collaboration between CHAN and Ministries of Health in implementing states by introducing the CHAN MNCH project, fostering integration within Technical Working Groups (TWGs), and ensuring alignment with state-level activities. We aim to empower CHAN facilities to contribute meaningfully by sharing valuable insights, context-specific experiences, and feedback at the TWG. The CHAN MNCH team has received a warm reception from the Honorable Commissioner of Health, Gombe; Dr.Habu Dahiru Dahiru in Gombe and Plateau State Sexual & Reproductive Health Coordinator; Mrs Dorcas K. Ibrahim. Additionally, in Kaduna, a productive engagement was held at the office of the Executive Secretary of, the Kaduna Primary Health Care Development Board; Mr. Hamza Ikara The Ministries of Health expressed a strong commitment to the partnership and collaboration in improving MNCH in the states. We are excited to share that government representatives have shown readiness to collaborate, welcoming the Ecumenical Pharmaceutical Network project and emphasizing their shared dedication to improving healthcare outcomes

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Focusing solely on promoting local health systems while neglecting global health initiatives in Africa can have several disadvantages. It is crucial to also advance global health expertise in the region for several reasons: 1. Disease Management and Prevention: Africa faces unique health challenges, such as infectious diseases (e.g., malaria) and emerging and re-emerging health threats. Global health expertise can provide advanced knowledge, innovative treatments, and effective prevention strategies tailored to these challenges. 2. Strengthening Health Systems: By integrating global health practices, African countries can improve their health systems, including healthcare infrastructure, supply chains, and workforce training. This leads to better service delivery and more efficient health systems. 3. Research and Development: Global health expertise can drive research into diseases that disproportionately affect Africa, leading to the development of new treatments and vaccines that are specifically suited to the region's needs. 4. Policy and Governance: Expertise in global health can help in formulating and implementing effective health policies and governance structures that address both local and global health issues. 5. Capacity Building: Training local healthcare professionals and building institutions through global health partnerships enhances the ability of African countries to manage and sustain their own health improvements over the long term. Overall, integrating global health expertise can lead to reduced disease burden, improved health outcomes, and enhanced resilience against health crises in Africa.

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Africans are least represented in global health organizations, boards, conferences, and publications Visa inequity is a key driver Important Nature Magazine piece by Gilbert Nakweya Bsc (Moi), MA (UoN), with input from Shashika Bandara, Marie-Claire Wangari M. (MBChB, MSc-Ongoing), Barnabas Alayande Folusho Balogun & me https://lnkd.in/ec97YheV

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The recent manuscript in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology from Gibril Ndow, Yusuke Shimakawa and their co-authors (https://www.thelancet. com/journals/langas/article/PIIS2468-1253(24)00226-7/fulltext) showed that in a cohort of people with untreated chronic hepatitis B in The Gambia who were considered ineligible for antiviral therapy at diagnosis and were followed up for about 6 years, all-cause mortality was similar to that of the general population and liver disease progression was low. The authors must be congratulated over their difficult multicentre, prospective cohort study. However, as they remind us, ''only 4·2% of people with chronic hepatitis B have been diagnosed and, among those diagnosed, only 5·5% have received antiviral therapy in Africa''. Pre-symptomatic diagnosis of chronic hepatitis B, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, and alcohol-related chronic liver disease remains a huge unresolved issue especially (but not exclusively) in low- and middle-income countries. Another important aspect of this somehow reassuring study is that there is a small risk of disease progression, including cirrhosis, in a few of those patients who were considered ineligible for antiviral therapy at diagnosis of chronic hepatitis B virus infection; as always in medicine, we must treat individuals, and it is essential to carefully consider each patient's condition and make any effort to encourage each and every patient to be adequately followed up. This is extremely difficult for poor patients the world over, but their right to care must be a priority for governments and physicians anywhere. #TheLancetGastroenterologyHepatology #Hepatology #ChronichepatitisB #LowMiddleIncomeCountries #SubSaharanAfrica #Patientrights #TheGambia

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Welcome to 2030: What to Look for in Africa's Digital Health, in this series we would be exploring the future of health tech innovation in Africa. As the digital health revolution accelerates, what trends, technologies, and policies will shape Africa's healthcare landscape by 2030? Join Me and Ezinne V. C Onwuekwe, B.Pharm, PMP® as we unpack the opportunities and challenges ahead. Whether you’re a healthcare professional, entrepreneur, or simply curious about the future of health in Africa, this series will provide valuable insights into how digital transformation is set to redefine healthcare on the continent. #Healthcareisseriousbusiness #hsbseries #digitalhealth #innovativedesign #professionals

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At National Vaccines & Immunization Program(NVIP), our strategic plan is guided by four core principles to deliver equitable and effective immunization services across Kenya: - People-Centred: Equitable immunization services tailored to diverse communities, including marginalized groups, within an integrated primary health care system. - National, County, and Community Ownership: Collaboration across all levels to ensure high-quality, sustainable immunization services that address local needs and achieve universal health coverage. - Partnership-Based: Engaging community, non-profits, civil society, government, and development partners to collectively attain immunization goals. - Evidence-Driven: Utilizing timely data to track performance and optimize immunization delivery, addressing new vaccines, emergencies, and coverage for special and marginalized groups. Together, let's ensure every individual in Kenya has access to life-saving vaccines. #VaccinateToProtect #VaccinesSaveLives

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It's important that we aim to lower the cesarean rate, but at the same time, we can work to improve breastfeeding outcomes for those who give birth by cesarean. Some of the major factors that can improve breastfeeding after cesarean include: regular prenatal and postpartum care supportive hospital policies lactation-supportive healthcare providers immediate and robust lactation care, ongoing support prenatal breastfeeding education Baby Friendly Hospital status immediate postpartum skin-to-skin rooming-in Where do you fit in? Which factors can you influence with your clients? At this moment, I can play a role in prenatal breastfeeding education and ongoing lactation support. Read more about breastfeeding after cesarean and a multitude of ways to protect and promote breastfeeding in my new book, Protecting Your Potential for Breastfeeding. It's available from online bookstores. If you're motivated, leave a review on Amazon! This can help other people discover the book. #breastfeedingaftercesarean #breastfeeding #lactation #breastfeedingsupport #lactationsupport #improvebreastfeeding #protectbreastfeeding

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East African Community Digital Health and Interoperability Assessments This report details the results of the Kenya assessment, which had two objectives: 1️⃣ Assess the status of digital health and HIS interoperability in Kenya by assessing the processes, structures, and capacities needed to support the enabling environment for digital health and interoperability. This objective included beginning to develop a registry of digital health solutions being implemented in Kenya. 2️⃣ Using the Kenyan assessment results, contribute to the regional landscape assessment of digital health and interoperability in the EAC to inform regional analysis and recommendations for moving them forward. ♻️ Repost this to help others in your network. And follow Abel Mestie Mekonnen (MD) for more insights on digital health innovation.

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The Guild of Medical Laboratory Directors (GMLD): A Catalyst for Healthcare Transformation in Africa The Guild of Medical Laboratory Directors (GMLD) in Nigeria exemplifies the transformative power of public-private collaboration in healthcare. Representing over 4,000 private laboratories, GMLD has redefined the private sector’s role in national health systems, setting a model for other African countries. Through innovation and high standards, GMLD has strengthened healthcare delivery and improved public health outcomes. Laboratories are critical for diagnosis, treatment, and public health, yet their role often goes unnoticed. GMLD has highlighted the contributions of private laboratories, building a network that complements the public healthcare system. Founded in 1998, GMLD serves as the private sector arm of the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria, uniting operators under a vision of quality and professionalism. GMLD’s success is based on collaboration, advocacy, and excellence. It provides a platform for private laboratories to support national health priorities, producing tangible outcomes that enhance healthcare delivery. GMLD ensures its members comply with regulations set by the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN), maintaining rigorous standards for quality and personnel qualifications, building trust in the private sector’s capability. In 2018, GMLD partnered with the National Tuberculosis and Buruli Ulcer Control Program to expand TB diagnostics through private labs. Supported by USAID and the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria, the program grew from a single lab to a network of 20 providing free TB diagnostics, significantly increasing Nigeria’s TB detection and treatment capacity. The GMLD model offers lessons for other African nations: organizing private sector networks, developing public-private partnerships (PPPs), regulatory alignment, and capacity building. GMLD’s alignment with MLSCN and continuous professional development have been key to its success. The GMLD model shows how private labs can be key partners in national health strategies. By fostering collaboration and promoting innovation, GMLD has created a model that can transform healthcare delivery across Africa. African governments should adapt this model, leveraging the private sector to build resilient health systems and ensure quality healthcare for all Africans.

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Just published! We addressing the current state of Lassa fever in Nigeria and its risk of progression into CNS disorders requires a multi-faceted approach. Through support for advancing healthcare infrastructure, increasing public awareness, and supporting research efforts, we can work towards reducing the burden of Lassa fever, which leads to progressive central nervous system disorders, and improving the health outcomes of individuals in Nigeria. https://lnkd.in/dZKVtzeH

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Looking forward to a conversation with Dr Onye Nnorom about my path in medicine as a health profession, social accountability and leadership!

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