Private healthcare providers in Lagos have urged the government to formally recognise and support the private sector’s role in building a resilient health system, warning that continued neglect could deepen Nigeria’s healthcare and economic crises.
Speaking ahead of the Association of Nigerian Private Medical Practitioners (ANPMP) Annual Scientific Conference, members said they have quietly sustained frontline care for decades despite poor infrastructure, rising energy costs, insecurity, and a mass exodus of medical personnel.
ANPMP Chairman, Dr. Jonathan Esegine, told reporters in Lagos that the conference was organised to draw attention to the sector’s under-recognised contribution.
“We have invested heavily in organising this conference because the role of private healthcare providers remains legally unrecognised. For 104 years our association has been the gateway to grassroots healthcare, we are always available and accessible,” he said.
The conference, titled “Building Resilient Private Health Systems in Lagos State: A Driver of Public-Private Collaboration, Economic Stability and Good Governance,” will hold on September 10–11, 2025 in Lagos. It will feature master classes, panel discussions and sessions on sub-themes including:
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the role of technology in quality assurance;
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the economic pressures facing healthcare providers; and
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policy impacts across federal, state and local governance tiers.
Speakers accused the government of failing to create an enabling environment to retain health workers, saying nurses and doctors are leaving in large numbers while those who remain operate under hazardous conditions.
They also stressed that private doctors are often the first point of care for Nigerians, routinely treating patients who arrive without money and delivering services under severe constraints.
Other calls include urgent policy action to formally recognise private providers in health planning, stabilise operational costs (notably energy), secure the health workforce; and strengthen public-private collaboration to protect both health outcomes and economic stability.
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