Experts seeks more leadership role for women in healthcare

Ms Clare Omatseye, Chairperson, Extraordinary Women Advancing Healthcare (EWAH) Advisory Board, says there’s a need to strengthen women’s leadership role to bring greater parity in healthcare industry. 

Omatseye, CEO JNCI Ltd and also Vice President of the African Healthcare Federation, said this during a news conference on EWAH Africa Award on Monday in Lagos.

EWAH Awards, a programme of The Commonwealth Institute, TCI, is having its ‘debut’ in Africa, with Nigeria as the premier event host.

The EWAH Awards recognise 10 outstanding individuals across the Commonwealth for their career achievements, demonstrating collaboration, mentorship, innovation, and fostering diversity in their organisations and in the healthcare community.

The awardees are from diverse sectors including public health and policy, community health education and leadership, academia and research, manufacturing and distribution, among others.

The Award organised by LiveWell Initiatives, a social enterprise creating shared value and assisting organisations to actualise their social responsibility would hold on Dec. 6 in Lagos.

Omatseye said the 10 emerging women healthcare leaders to be recognised represent diverse sectors of health care.

“What they all have in common is their ‘miles-to-go mindset’ impacting innovating health care and fostering inclusivity, inspiring and mentoring others not only in their country, but potentially across the region and even globally,” she said.

Also, Dr Bisi Bright, CEO, LiveWell Initiative and Regional Representative for EWAH Awards Africa said the award was to raise national and international recognition for these emerging, dynamic healthcare leaders.

“The event aims to give visibility to the work of these leaders, to help them continue to build invaluable cross-sector networks and partnerships, and to encourage them to achieve even further impact and innovation and to inspire others in the healthcare system.

“The programme will help to strengthen health systems, through impact and direction; and to bring to the fore diversity, inclusiveness, innovation, and a ‘Miles-to-go’ Mindset,” she said.

Bright noted that the healthcare system has more women than men working in it, however, top roles and recognition are dominated by men.

“EWAH aims to help bring greater parity in such leadership.

“We want, through EWAH Awards, to get more women to the top across all sectors of healthcare, and to help them build important cross-sector networks that will be even more impactful in the future,” she said.

Similarly, Barri Blauvelt, Chair, EWAH Steering Committee in the USA, expressed pleasure at the first EWAH event outside of the USA in collaboration with LiveWell Initiative was in Nigeria.

Blauvelt encouraged more women to do more in the healthcare space, in order to build a global alliance of formidable women advancing healthcare into the future.

Sir Stanley Evans, Immediate Past President, British Business Group, said the award would create a new awakening and ‘Call to Action’ for women to become leaders of healthcare, not only in Africa, but globally.

Evans said this was aimed at bringing visibility and impact for new and expanded career prospects for women in healthcare and diverse sectors’ leadership.

“It is believed that this will strengthen health systems particularly through the education and advancement of more women in the healthcare workforce at all levels of the organisation,” he said.

Evans added that it was in alignment with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals 3 and 5 centred on Good Health and Well Being and Gender Equality.