Dr Abiodun Ipadeola, Chief Executive Officer of Datametrics Associates Limited and a public health researcher, has urged Nigerians to actively support public hospitals and healthcare workers through small, meaningful actions. Speaking to journalists on Monday in Abuja, she emphasized that strengthening Nigeria's health system should not rest solely on government shoulders. Ahead of the 2026 World Health Day themed "Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures," Ipadeola highlighted the critical role of midwives and nurses in ensuring safe deliveries and quality care. She called for public recognition of their efforts and encouraged citizens to show appreciation through simple gestures like saying "thank you" or offering water to health workers.
Ipadeola revealed that her advocacy was inspired by her recent 40th birthday visit to the government hospital where she was born. During the visit, she gave cash gifts to mothers who had just delivered, enabling some to settle their bills. Hospital staff reported that families were moved by the gesture, with some brought to tears. While acknowledging that such acts do not solve systemic issues, she stressed they ease financial burdens and uplift morale in under-resourced facilities. She urged Nigerians to adopt a culture of giving back, saying collective action can improve healthcare outcomes for mothers and children.
Dr Abiodun Ipadeola's birthday gesture—returning to the hospital where she was born and supporting new mothers—shows how personal gratitude can translate into public good. When a data expert with no obligation steps in to ease delivery costs, it exposes how deeply underfunded and unsupported public maternity care remains. Her action suggests that if citizens must routinely fill gaps in hospital funding, the system is not functioning as it should. For Nigerian mothers, this normalisation of private charity for basic care is not heartwarming—it's alarming.
