In a significant leap towards equitable healthcare access, Dr Mariette Obianozie-Amadi, a distinguished physician and health systems expert, has spotlighted the full-scale deployment of telemedicine services across 326 primary healthcare centres in Anambra State, marking a revolutionary milestone in Nigeria’s rural health landscape.
The pioneering effort spans all 21 local government areas of the state and is the work of 24Telemed, a social enterprise founded by Dr Obianozie-Amadi to bridge the healthcare gap in underserved communities.
Speaking in an interview with Voice of Nigeria, Dr Obianozie-Amadi—a dual holder of a PhD and an MBA in Healthcare Management—described her journey into rural medicine as deeply personal.
Her commitment was ignited by the loss of her mother, an experience that became the emotional and professional catalyst for addressing health disparities in Nigeria’s remote areas.
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“The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the fragility of our health system and deepened my resolve to create sustainable models that connect rural populations to quality care,” she explained.
Her response to this challenge was the creation of 24Telemed, which prioritises community-rooted telemedicine solutions over conventional, urban-centric approaches.
In September 2022, the initiative gained institutional backing when a centralised telemedicine hub was launched in partnership with the Anambra State Ministry of Health, and inaugurated by Governor Charles Soludo.
By January 2025, the programme had expanded to cover all 326 primary healthcare centres (PHCs) in Anambra, making it one of the most extensive rural telemedicine deployments in West Africa.
“We didn’t just install equipment. We designed context-specific services, trained local staff, and ensured community trust.
“Today, a patient in a remote village can consult with a specialist doctor without travelling to an urban centre,” Dr Obianozie-Amadi said.
Breaking Barriers in Rural Innovation
Dr Obianozie-Amadi acknowledged the formidable barriers to rural health innovation in Nigeria, including limited infrastructure, digital illiteracy, and initial staff resistance. However, she credited strategic stakeholder engagement, tenacity, and adaptive planning for overcoming these hurdles.
“The support of the Anambra State Ministry of Health was instrumental. They stood by us at every stage—from pilot to scale-up,” she added.
The telemedicine services allow community health workers to connect patients with physicians in real-time for consultations, diagnosis, and treatment, thereby reducing dependence on far-off tertiary hospitals.
A Vision Beyond Anambra
With the success in Anambra, 24Telemed now plans to expand across Nigeria, aiming to make virtual healthcare access a national reality.
“Our goal is that a child in rural Zamfara or Rivers should have the same medical access as a child in Victoria Island,” Dr Obianozie-Amadi said.
She appealed to development partners, philanthropists, and government agencies to invest in scalable rural telemedicine infrastructure.
“Telemedicine is not a luxury—it’s a lifesaving necessity in hard-to-reach areas. We must scale innovation to address the rural medical access crisis,” she asserted.
Dr Obianozie-Amadi concluded with optimism, stating that the healthcare narrative in rural Nigeria is changing, “We are shifting from despair to hope, from distance to connection, and from preventable deaths to accessible, quality care—right at the community level.”