By Sade Adewale, Ondo

A Professor of Medical Laboratory Science at the University of Benin, Professor Evarista Osime, has stated that digital technology can improve access to healthcare services, personalise treatments, and enhance efficiency and patient satisfaction.

Professor Osime made this remark during the induction and oath-taking ceremony for 51 Medical Laboratory Science graduands from the University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED), held at the university’s Odosida Campus in Ondo.

Delivering a lecture titled “Transforming Healthcare Delivery in Nigeria Using Digital Technology: The Pivotal Role of Medical Laboratory Scientists,” the guest lecturer noted that the necessity of digital technology in healthcare became undeniable during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In her words, “The COVID-19 pandemic was a major disruption for Clinical Laboratories that highlighted the necessity of digital transformation and its acceleration. This digital maturity requires establishing connectivity, end-to-end workflow, and advanced analytical technologies and techniques,” Osime added.

She outlined key components of digital technology that Nigeria should adopt to improve healthcare delivery, including telemedicine, data analytics, artificial intelligence, electronic health records, and wearable devices.

The esteemed scholar explained that utilising these technologies would improve care quality and address disparities in healthcare access, particularly through telemedicine.

In her concluding remarks, Professor Osime acknowledged the challenges of implementing digital technology in healthcare but emphasised that “embracing digital technologies by Laboratory Scientists can enhance patient care and outcomes, improve diagnostic accuracy and speed, increase operational efficiency, support personalised medicine, and foster collaborative research and innovation.”

In a statement at the event, Vice-Chancellor Professor Adesegun Fatusi, represented by the Chairman of the Committee of Deans, Professor Ezekiel Adebayo, echoed the guest lecturer’s sentiment, saying, “Digital technology cannot be ignored in healthcare delivery. It is the way to go if the nation wants to deliver the best healthcare.”

He congratulated the inductees and urged them to represent the institution honourably.

Earlier, the Dean of the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Professor Abdulazeez Abubakar, expressed gratitude to the university management for fostering an environment conducive to Medical Laboratory Science training. According to him, this support will continue to ensure the university produces world-class Medical Laboratory Scientists.