Elizabeth Olowokandi, a UK-based physician, Imperial College MPH graduate, and global health advocate, in this interview with KENNETH ATHEKAME spoke on why Nigeria’s healthcare crisis is fundamentally an operational failure; how the medical exodus is affecting misdiagnosed, and why fixing primary healthcare is the country’s best economic investment. She also discussed how Nigeria can practically transform its diaspora into a net-positive economic asset rather than allowing the country to lose valuable human capital and investment opportunities. Excerpts:
You left LASUTH to practise in the UK NHS, joining thousands of Nigerian doctors practising abroad. Isn’t it hypocritical to advocate for health reform in Nigeria from the safety and comfort of the NHS?
My time at LASUTH exposed me to raw systemic scarcity- patients waiting from 5:00 AM without guaranteed care and families buying basic cotton wool out-of-pocket. Transitioning to the NHS didn’t erase that reality; it exposed the gap between structural failure and operational efficiency. Resourcefulness is not a substitute for standard infrastructure. My conviction that Nigeria can fix its system stems from knowing that the primary deficit isn’t talent or ideas, it is political will and targeted capital allocation.
