Telemedicine Adoption in Nigeria's Healthcare System Amid COVID-19 and Ebola Outbreaks

Strategic Insights -

Telemedicine adoption in Nigeria's healthcare system was significantly spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the country witnessing major disruptions in antenatal care, immunization coverage, tuberculosis and HIV services, and in-facility deliveries. Researchers from Kwara State University conducted a review of the impacts of the COVID-19 and Ebola outbreaks on Nigeria's health system, highlighting advancements achieved during and after the crises. The study utilized publicly available articles from Google Scholar, PubMed, and other grey literature from NCDC and WHO, focusing on the Nigerian healthcare system, Ebola, and COVID-19 outbreaks. The researchers emphasized the importance of strengthening health system resilience through sustained funding, institutional reforms, and the integration of emergency gains into routine healthcare.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Ebola and COVID-19 outbreaks led to major disruptions in Nigeria's healthcare system, including declines in essential healthcare services such as antenatal care, immunization coverage, tuberculosis and HIV services, and in-facility deliveries.
  • During the Ebola outbreak, emergency operations centers and digital surveillance systems like SORMAS were implemented to strengthen outbreak response.
  • The COVID-19 pandemic prompted the adoption of telemedicine, expanded molecular diagnostic capacity, and large-scale investments in health infrastructure, enhancing service delivery beyond pandemic-specific needs.
  • Both outbreaks disrupted essential healthcare services but also spurred critical investments and innovations.
  • Strengthening health system resilience requires sustained funding, institutional reforms, and the integration of emergency gains into routine healthcare.
  • The paper recommends that the healthcare system capacity and surveillance system should be strengthened, and there should be full adoption of telemedicine.
  • The authors highlight the importance of learning from the experiences of the Ebola and COVID-19 outbreaks to improve Nigeria's healthcare system resilience.

Statistics:

  • Nigeria's healthcare system was severely challenged by the 2014 Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak and the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
  • The study utilized publicly available articles from 10 sources, including Google Scholar, PubMed, and other grey literature from NCDC and WHO.
  • The authors report that the COVID-19 pandemic prompted a 15-fold increase in molecular diagnostic capacity in Nigeria.
  • A total of 22 articles were reviewed, including articles from Google Scholar, PubMed, and other grey literature from NCDC and WHO.

Sources:

  • Health system resilience in Nigeria after Ebola and COVID-19: impacts, improvements, and strategic directions. Discover Public Health, 2025,22(1):1-15. The publisher for Discover Public Health is Springer.
  • Kwara State University
  • NewsRx. Research from Kwara State University in the Area of Telemedicine Described (Health system resilience in Nigeria after Ebola and COVID-19: impacts, improvements, and strategic directions). AIDS Vaccine Week. October 20, 2025; p 381.