Stakeholders call for stronger public-private partnership as Healthcare Communications celebrates four decades
Forty years after Dr. Bola Olaosebikan founded Healthcare magazine to promote health information, education and public advocacy, stakeholders from the medical, pharmaceutical, academic, public and private sectors gathered in Lagos to examine the future of Nigeria’s healthcare system.
The 40th anniversary celebration of Healthcare Communications Limited, held on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, at the Banquet Hall of Airport Hotel, Ikeja, also featured the official launch of Healthcare Magazine and the unveiling of Olaosebikan’s latest book, Making Nigeria’s Health Great: A 25-Chapter Blueprint for Healthcare Transformation.
The anniversary, themed “Improving Healthcare Through Public and Private Sector Collaboration,” focused attention on the need for stronger partnerships to address the country's persistent healthcare challenges.
The event also featured a special panel session, the unveiling of Nigeria’s 12 leading states in healthcare services, the Healthcare Magazine Global Awards, and the recognition of 16 prominent Nigerians for their contributions to healthcare, leadership and national development.
At the centre of the celebration was the unveiling of Making Nigeria’s Health Great, a book that moves beyond identifying the problems in Nigeria's health sector to proposing practical approaches for transforming the system.
Drawing on Olaosebikan’s more than four decades of experience in medicine, public health, healthcare administration, communication and advocacy, the book presents a framework built around Factors, Manpower, Services, Infrastructure, Financing, Management and Innovations.
Its 25 chapters address issues including Universal Health Coverage, healthcare financing, digital health, artificial intelligence, public-private partnerships, health security, patient safety, ethics, research and innovation.
The book's central proposition is that Nigeria needs a healthcare system that is available, accessible, affordable, equitable and inclusive, supported by effective leadership, sustainable financing, competent manpower and modern infrastructure.
A major highlight of the anniversary was the review of the book by Prof. Lere Baale, who examined both the publication and Olaosebikan’s journey in healthcare communication.
Baale used the acronym SHAPED to describe qualities he associated with the author, including his special gifts, passion, abilities, personality, experience, and the decision that shaped his professional destiny.
The review presented Olaosebikan's decision to establish and sustain a specialised health publication as an example of how an initially untested idea can develop into a four-decade institution.
Baale also drew attention to Africa’s historical contribution to medicine through his reference to Imhotep, while highlighting the importance of knowledge, communication and innovation in healthcare development.
The anniversary theme generated strong discussions around collaboration between government and the private sector.
Stakeholders noted that government alone cannot meet every healthcare need, while private-sector organisations also require effective policies, regulation, infrastructure and institutional support to operate sustainably.
The panel discussion therefore emphasised the need to move beyond isolated efforts and create stronger frameworks involving government, healthcare providers, pharmaceutical companies, investors, researchers and other stakeholders.
The conversation also highlighted the changing healthcare environment and the need for institutions to respond to a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world.
Another issue raised during the celebration was the need to preserve and digitise the archives of Healthcare magazine.
With four decades of publications, the archive represents a valuable record of Nigeria’s changing healthcare landscape, including health policies, professional debates, medical developments and institutional changes.
Properly preserved and digitised, the collection could provide useful resources for researchers, healthcare professionals, policymakers and future generations.
The anniversary also culminated in the Healthcare Magazine Global Awards, with 16 prominent Nigerians recognised for their contributions to healthcare, leadership, business and national development.
Those recognised included Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, the Governor of Anambra State, the Governor of Kwara State, business mogul Otunba Mike Adenuga, the Chairman of BUA Group, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Bayo Onanuga, Senator Francis Adenigba, the owner of ValueJet Airline, and the Oba Alagura of Agura, Sagamu, among others.
For Olaosebikan and the Healthcare Communications team, the anniversary represented more than four decades of publishing. It became a platform to ask what Nigeria’s healthcare system should look like in the decades ahead.
The message emerging from the celebration was clear: transforming healthcare will require more than identifying challenges. It will require sustained investment, stronger leadership, innovation, effective communication and meaningful collaboration between the public and private sectors.
At 40, Healthcare magazine has therefore entered another chapter — one that looks beyond celebrating its past towards contributing to the future of healthcare in Nigeria.