Private sector trust key to sustainable health reform -Ajayi

Dr Pamela Ajayi, former President of the Healthcare Federation of Nigeria (HFN), has underscored the need for organised trust and stronger collaboration among stakeholders to drive sustainable health reform in Nigeria.

Ajayi, Founder/Managing Director, Synlab Nigeria,our correspondent on Monday in Abuja that meaningful reform in the health sector was rarely propelled by passion alone.

She said it required deliberate coordination among private healthcare providers, government institutions, financiers and development partners.

Reflecting on her four years tenure as HFN president, she noted that systemic progress in healthcare required structures strong enough to outlive individual leadership terms.

According to her, health reform moves when trust is organised across providers, government, financiers, development partners, and the many voices within the private sector,” she said.

”Quiet but critical levers often shape the success or failure of reform efforts, including policy and process frameworks that ensure essential health inputs arrive on time.”

She identified investment conditions, value-chain decisions and quality systems as fundamental pillars in strengthening Nigeria’s healthcare ecosystem.

Ajayi explained that predictable policy environments and improved regulatory clarity were necessary to attract long-term private capital into healthcare.

She added that strengthening local production capacity within the health value chain would reduce dependency on imports and improve system resilience.

The former HFN president also emphasised the importance of robust quality assurance systems to protect patients as healthcare services expanded.

”As scale happens, quality systems must keep pace safeguarding patients and maintaining confidence in the system,” she said.

She expressed appreciation to the HFN Board of Trustees, executive members and partners for supporting efforts to reposition the federation beyond advocacy into a platform focused on execution and measurable outcomes.

She encouraged stakeholders operating within the healthcare ecosystem to participate in reform processes rather than remain observers.

With the 2026 HFN annual conference scheduled for March 4 and 5, she urged operators committed to Universal Health Coverage (UHC) to contribute expertise toward building sustainable solutions.

She added that the private sector accounted for a significant share of healthcare service delivery in Nigeria, making collaboration between public and private actors critical to achieving UHC targets.