Netherlands Moves To Advance Nigeria’s Health Sector Funding

As part of its commitment to strengthen healthcare systems in Nigeria, the Consulate of the  Kingdom of Netherlands, in collaboration with PharmAccess Foundation, has sponsored private healthcare providers, investors and public sector officials on fact-finding mission to the Netherlands.

The visit was the first health mission organised by the consulate and it brought together leaders to meet and interact with Dutch health entrepreneurs, with a view to foster investments in the Nigerian health sector and to transfer capacity, expertise and best practices.

Addressing the team, the director, International Entrepreneurship at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Marc Hasselaar said as world economies become more globalised, countries were proposing new guidelines to strengthen national and global health security.

“The government of the Netherlands, as part of its global development goals has established a policy directive to structure the support it provides to the healthcare sector, globally to ensure that its global health efforts are more strategic,” he said.

The delegation went on site visits to Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). Delft Imaging Systems, established in 1925 has a long history of developing innovative imaging solutions that improve the quality of people’s lives. Guido Geerts, the chief executive officer of Delft Imaging, brought the delegates up to speed on some of the innovative solutions they had developed using digital x-rays  and CAD4TB to improve TB screening, especially in hard-to-reach areas . According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 245,000 Nigerians die from tuberculosis (TB) and about 590,000 new cases occur every year.

At the Philips Innovation Centre in Eindhoven, the latest consumer healthcare products were showcased and the Nigerian delegation took part in live demonstrations of some of the medical equipment. Philips has been developing innovative healthcare solutions across the continuum of care, from health living, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and homecare.

“We saw how easy it is to deploy technologies that will guarantee our nation’s health in future. This is not limited to equipment, we also have innovative software and financing solutions that address our current needs in Nigeria,” said Edward Mwingi, Philips Indirect Channel Manager, West Africa.

Netherlands’ global health strategy 2023-2030 published recently titled “Working together for health worldwide” aims to contribute in a coordinated and targeted way to improving public health around the world.

Deputy Consul General of the Netherlands in Lagos, Leonie Van der Stijl, who joined the fact-finding mission, said: “healthcare challenges have become increasingly global, multidimensional and complex. The Dutch Global Health Strategy focuses on strengthening global health architecture and systems, especially for primary care and sexual and reproductive healthcare and rights. As Africa’s biggest economy, the state of affairs in Nigeria often reflects issues and opportunities that exist across the continent. That is why this mission is so important.”

During the visit, PharmAcces Nigeria shared findings from the Nigeria Health Sector Market Study which seeks to provide deeper insights into the opportunities in Nigeria’s health sector and to position Dutch firms as Nigeria’s innovative partners for Life-Science-Health opportunities.

Loretta Aniagolu, Managing Partner and CEO of FIT Consult Limited stated that the study provided by PharmAccess Foundation was very useful in validating our own studies, particularly the breakdown of the expenditure of each state on overseas and private healthcare treatment”.

It was gathered that the report scheduled to be disseminated next month, will provide deeper insights into the market entry strategies for Dutch companies looking to leverage investment opportunities in Nigeria’s health sector.