Healthcare professionals and industry leaders have called for the integration of leadership, entrepreneurship and management training into medical education to prepare doctors and other health workers for the business and administrative demands of the healthcare sector.
They made the call at the maiden H-LEMP Africa Conference 2026, held at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, on October 28 and 29.
The stakeholders argued that clinical competence alone was insufficient to equip healthcare professionals to manage institutions, mobilise investment and build sustainable healthcare businesses.
They also urged medical and allied health institutions to incorporate regular sessions on leadership, financial management and entrepreneurship into their training programmes.
The conference, organised by Harley and Wall Business and Healthcare Consulting, brought together healthcare professionals, policymakers, hospital executives, academics and entrepreneurs to discuss ways of improving healthcare delivery across Africa.
Speaking during the discussions, participants said healthcare professionals needed to understand both the clinical and business aspects of healthcare delivery.
They noted that poor management and limited entrepreneurial skills could undermine the sustainability of healthcare institutions.
They also challenged medical practitioners to move beyond attributing the challenges in the healthcare sector solely to government failures, stressing the responsibility of healthcare professionals and institutional leaders in building a more sustainable system.
The discussions covered healthcare leadership, institutional governance, management capacity, entrepreneurship, financial intelligence and the application of artificial intelligence in healthcare.
Babatunde Okewale, the Chief Executive Officer of St. Ives Specialist Hospital, shared his experience of establishing the hospital after leaving the United Kingdom in 1996.
He said he returned to Nigeria after resigning as a consultant gynaecologist and started the hospital with one house converted into a medical facility, one consulting room and a nurse.
Okewale disclosed that the St. Ives Group had expanded to six hospitals on its own land and three urgent care clinics, with more than 1,000 staff having worked with the organisation.
He urged healthcare entrepreneurs to build institutions that could operate sustainably beyond the involvement of their founders.
Meanwhile, 55 scholars graduated from the D’BusinessDoctor Mentorship Academy’s The Business of Healthcare Programme at the conference.
The scholars received scholarships valued at N500,000 each, funded by ProvidusUnity Bank, to participate in the programme, which focuses on equipping healthcare students and professionals with business and entrepreneurial skills.
The conference also presented the inaugural D’BusinessDoctor Legacy and Hall of Fame Award to the co-founder of Eko Corp Plc and owner of The EKO Hospital, Dr Sonny Folorunsho Kuku.
The award recognised his contributions to medical practice, private healthcare development, mentorship and institutional leadership.
Iziaq Salako, Minister of State for Health, was represented at the conference by the Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, while Deoye Ojuroye, Executive Director of Providus Unity Bank, also delivered a keynote address.
The conference was convened by Ademolu Owoyele, popularly known as D’BusinessDoctor.
Source: