Artificial intelligence (AI) is fast emerging as a practical solution to Nigeria’s worsening healthcare challenges, as rising patient numbers, doctor shortages, and burnout continue to stretch hospitals across the country.

Dr Tokunbo Adekanla, a physician and chief executive officer, in a guest lecture titled : “AI and Private Medical Practice: Cutting-Edge Developments,” at the Association of Nigerian Private Medical Practitioners (ANPMP) scientific conference in Ibadan, said that Nigeria can no longer afford to ignore the global wave of artificial intelligence, particularly in medical practice.

He painted a grim picture of the Nigerian healthcare landscape, where many hospitals now record doctor-to-patient ratios as high as 1:750, compared to about 1:600 in previous years, with the situation further worsened by the steady migration of doctors abroad in search of better working conditions.

Adekanla said currently, about 67 percent of doctors experience burnout, a development that directly affects patient care, increases waiting times, and raises the risk of medical errors.

“Our healthcare system is under serious pressure. Doctors are worn out, facilities are overstretched, and patients are losing confidence,” he said.

He stated that the technology is designed to support, not replace, doctors and acknowledged concerns such as “AI hallucination”, where systems may generate inaccurate information, but insisted that human oversight remains essential.

According to him, “AI can assist, suggest, and organize information, but it cannot practise medicine. The doctor is still fully responsible for every decision.”

The healthcare technology advocate clarified that AI can be applied at different stages of patient care, including consultations, handling appointment bookings, sending reminders, supporting image-based assessments in areas such as dermatology, assisting with documentation, and digitally collecting patients’ medical histories.

According to Dr Adekanla, AI can speed up medical documentation by up to 80 percent, shorten waiting times, reduce errors, and enable more personalized care, translating into improved efficiency, better patient satisfaction, and increased revenue for the hospital.

He stated that Nigeria already has the basic infrastructure needed for AI-supported hospitals, and warned that hospitals and doctors who fail to embrace AI risk being left behind, just as some facilities once resisted laboratory and diagnostic technologies.

Adekanla, therefore, urged Nigerian doctors, medical associations, and hospital owners to invest in AI training and local innovation and called on the Federal Government to move beyond policy discussions and actively support AI implementation in healthcare and other critical sectors.

Commissioner of Police, Oyo State Command, CP Olufemi Haruna, speaking on insecurity and its implications for private medical practitioners, said healthcare facilities are meant to be safe havens, places of healing, compassion, and hope, but have become vulnerable, exposing medical practitioners and staff to serious risks.

Represented by Assistant Commissioner of Police Kazeem Ajanaku, he said : “Health facilities, especially private clinics, pharmacies and diagnostic centres, are often soft targets due to predictable routines, limited security infrastructure, and the misconception that medical facilities have raw cash readily available.”

CP Haruna noted that insecurity is not just a security problem but also a public health issue, being the cause of reduced access to quality healthcare, particularly in semi-urban and rural communities, overstretched public hospitals, and a decline in private investments, with the overall health outcomes suffering.

Therefore, he urged strengthening the collaboration between private medical facilities and local security formations, implementing facility-level security and emergency response protocols, and community engagement to foster trust and shared responsibility for security.

“Ensuring the safety of medical professionals is not optional; it is fundamental to national well-being. A secure environment empowers healthcare providers to save lives, serve communities, and contribute meaningfully to national development. I assure you that security agencies remain committed to working with all stakeholders to create safer spaces for healthcare delivery,” CP Haruna added.

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