AI Should Complement, Not Replace Human Intelligence In Healthcare Services — NMA

The Kwara State chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), on Monday, advised that artificial intelligence (AI) should be utilised as a complement to human intelligence and not a replacement for the latter in the medical field.

The state chairman of NMA, Prof. AbdulRahman Afolabi, stated this while addressing journalists on the activities lined up for the 2025 Physician’s Week in Ilorin, the state capital.

The theme of the Week is titled: “Healthcare As A Value Chain: Building Efficiency From Policy To Patient”, with the sub-theme as “AI, Ethics and the Physicians’ Role In Modern Healthcare”.

Afolabi, who was represented by Dr. Ayinde Musa, noted that no algorithm can replicate the compassion, moral reasoning, and trust that define the physician-patient relationship.

He said: “Physicians must be active participants in shaping this transformation, not passive observers. We must ensure that technology serves humanity, not the other way round. While these innovations promised greater efficiency, and accessibility, they also raise ethical and profound questions.”

He observed that healthcare delivery does not begin in the hospital, but with policy formulation and runs through resource allocation, infrastructure development, training, logistics, service delivery and patient outcomes.

“When one link in the chain is weak, whether it is poor policy implementation, inadequate funding, lack of equipment, or workforce shortage, the entire system suffers,” he said.

Afolabi lamented that Nigeria’s healthcare system was facing multiple challenges, including insufficient health financing and inconsistent policies, shortage and migration of healthcare professionals.

Others, he said, were poor primary healthcare infrastructure, weak referral systems and fragmented coordination.

“To build efficiency, therefore, we must adopt a system-thinking approach that aligns policy, practice and patient-centered outcomes,” he said.

He charged policy makers to listen to practitioners, and urged members of the association to uphold standards and ethics.

Afolabi said patients must have equitable access to quality care, adding that efficiency in healthcare is not about speed alone, it is about delivering the right care, at the right time, by the right team, using the right resources.