Like most countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria is riddled with abject poverty despite the abundance of natural resources. Growing up in Nigeria, my beloved country as a young man, I was able to witness and experience the poverty that has ravaged most of my people in my home town. For a long time, I have seen firsthand the constant decay of health infrastructure, runaway corruption in the health sector, fake medicines, maternal related deaths, structural failure of health systems, massive brain drain due to medical workers migrating to Europe and the US, the perpetual cycle of ineffective or absent public healthcare policies or even when they exist implementation is often a challenge as most leaders lack the political will of seeing them through the finish line. The cycle goes on and on for years, jeopardizing and putting the lives of ordinary citizens at risk and, most of the time, leaving them staring at the jaws of death, while all these conditions could be easily avoided and treated.
I have had the opportunity to live and work outside my home country in the past 22 years. And this has opened up my mind to know the situation in Nigeria can be improved as I was able to witness and experience firsthand better healthcare incorporated with the best up to date technology in many countries that I have been to, especially India. This was a wakeup call to me, as it has been a constant reminder to try and improve the community I grew up in and the entire Nigerian healthcare system. In our culture, we are raised not only by our parents but by the whole community as well, and I find this as an opportune time to give back to the community and to those who believed in me and supported the pursuit of my dreams. That has accorded me love, care, and to continue with the community’s belief of being our brother’s keepers as we believe in community life as supreme.
I now wish to pursue a Ph.D. in Healthcare Management and Leadership, and I cannot imagine a better place to study this than IIHMR (Institute of Health Management & Research University) at Jaipur. First, India and Nigeria have similarities in that both in their respective continents consist of countries with the largest population densities that are significantly diversified. Hence studying in India will help me immensely be able to replicate my knowledge and impact more effectively. Secondly, India has one of the fastest growing innovations in the healthcare sector as more and more people come to India to seek affordable and advanced medical care. I also admire the commitment of the Institute to the improvement of high standards of healthcare through better management and technological innovation as in the incorporation of blockchain technology. And it is with this that I wish to focus my research on the Current State of blockchain technology In the Healthcare Sector in India and Its Potential Future in Nigeria. I believe in exploring the use of blockchain in healthcare and its applications in Nigeria will significantly be of importance in the transparency and the need to reduce administrative burdens and eliminate costly waste within the existing systems.
I particularly wish to work with blockchain experts in India since they have been a great source of inspiration for me in my pursuit of a better healthcare system for my country. This research has the potential to contribute to the theoretical models of healthcare business transformation technologies, including blockchain, telehealth, and artificial intelligence (AI). Nigeria’s healthcare sectors suffer from many problems ranging from fake drugs, constant strikes by healthcare workers, and a significant brain drain of healthcare workers. Blockchain technology is set to revolutionize the healthcare sector in Nigeria. The system will be able to link patients’ medical history to doctors across the country hence will significantly reduce deaths caused due to wrong diagnosis and treatment. The course will also be able to eliminate the use of fake drugs as patients will be linked to legally registered pharmacists reducing the need to purchase from unscrupulous traders. The technology will enable doctors to quickly identify symptoms of infectious diseases and be able to mitigate vaccines and treatment, preventing pandemics from occurring.
My interest in Healthcare Management was firmly cemented as I was able to participate in the funding of a family-owned business and Health Cross Global Medical Solutions Co. Ltd as one of the shareholders. In the past three years, I have volunteered and contributed to various medical associations in Nigeria, notably is the Association of Radiologists in Nigeria (ARIN), Society of Family Physicians of Nigeria (SOFPON), and Society of Gynecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria (SOGON). With the knowledge in innovative health technologies and my previous M.Sc. Degree thesis experience using GIS application in statistical analyses and modeling, I am confident that I can complete the research project, which I have proposed to a high standard. Having been involved in so many different volunteer, academic, and professional situations. Hence I can interact and communicate effectively with people from all walks of life, creeds, cultures, and backgrounds. I possess a veritable executive of medical association and society to confide in me or seek advice, usually in innovative healthcare management, artificially intelligent, and management related training.
After completing my Ph.D., I plan to either volunteer within academic Healthcare management and Leadership programs or run my family Healthcare business. I also plan to offer consultations to Healthcare associations and policymakers in Nigeria and Africa. I believe that with my knowledge and experience in this developing field and with my mix of a multi-disciplinary set of skills spanning over 26 years, I can contribute to both the IIHMR and the broader discipline of the Healthcare Management and Leadership field.