In a dramatic virtual gathering, doctors from Nigeria and around the world have issued an urgent call for the country to jump on the Artificial Intelligence (AI) bandwagon,or risk falling hopelessly behind in global healthcare. The Seventh Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the University of Ilorin Medical Class of 2009 became a stage for bold claims about AI’s supposed power to “transform” clinical practice, research, and patient outcomes.
Speakers at the event wasted no time in painting a picture of a healthcare system on the brink, insisting that Nigerian clinicians must embrace AI and other tech innovations immediately. The conference, which included alumni from the US, UK, and beyond, was quick to frame technology as the only way to “strengthen” Nigeria’s health sector, with little mention of the real-world challenges facing hospitals and patients.
Quoting the World Health Organisation, participants claimed that prioritizing AI is “essential” for healthcare delivery and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Yet, they glossed over the glaring lack of legal and regulatory frameworks, simply noting that the tech is moving faster than the law can keep up,a recipe for chaos if not handled properly.
One of the headline speakers, Dr. Lawal Lukman,a self-described clinical AI specialist trained abroad,declared that Nigeria is sitting on a “fortune of untapped medical data.” He lamented that less than five percent of global AI models use African datasets, suggesting that this is the main reason AI tools don’t work for African populations. The solution? More documentation and “AI-ready” records, which, according to Dr. Lukman, could turn Nigeria into a global data hub overnight.
Dr. Lukman didn’t stop there. He claimed that with the right data from specialties like cardiology and radiology, Nigeria could lead the world in machine learning. But he also warned of the dangers, calling for “robust data governance” and “cybersecurity”,as if these are simple boxes to tick in a country still struggling with basic infrastructure.
Not content with just tech talk, the conference veered into financial advice. Mrs. Yvonne Akintomide, a finance executive, told doctors to get serious about their money, rattling off a laundry list of investment options from stocks to mutual funds. She even suggested doctors band together to start their own Health Maintenance Organisation, pointing to “success stories” from abroad, with little regard for the unique challenges in Nigeria.
Dr. Qudus Lawal, head of the planning committee, urged attendees to turn all this talk into action, insisting that the conference’s value would be measured by how well members “apply the shared insights.” Meanwhile, Class Chairman Dr. Tijani Abdulrasheed heaped praise on the group’s supposed global excellence, urging them to keep “blazing the trail.”
The event also included reports of charity work, with the group touting their outreach at a children’s hospital and scholarship awards,gestures that, while commendable, do little to address the systemic issues plaguing Nigerian healthcare.
In the end, the conference was a whirlwind of buzzwords and big promises, with technology and financial planning held up as silver bullets for Nigeria’s health woes. The message from these doctors is clear: embrace AI and financial literacy now,or risk being left in the dust. But with so many unanswered questions and real challenges on the ground, is this just another case of hype over substance?
