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Prudential, Google Cloud Deepen Health Financing

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health financing

By Adedapo Adesanya

Insurance group, Prudential Plc, has partnered with Google Cloud to enhance health and financial inclusion for communities across Africa and Asia. This will help to deepen health financing in the two continents.

Under this alliance, Prudential will leverage Google Cloud’s data analytics capabilities, secure and sustainable infrastructure, and the broader Google ecosystem to accelerate its digital transformation and enhance the user engagement of its health and wealth platform, Pulse.

For Google Cloud, this partnership presents an opportunity to collaborate with a leading insurance provider to make protection, health and savings solutions simpler and more accessible across Asia and Africa.

Pulse is part of Prudential’s multi-channel strategy to make healthcare more accessible and increase financial inclusion. The app provides users with access to services such as health risk assessment and online doctor consultation to help them better manage their health needs and digital wealth tools to make financial decisions simpler1. Pulse is available in 17 markets and 11 languages.

Mr Solmaz Altin, Managing Director, Strategic Business Group, Prudential, said: “Across our markets, people are living longer, but not necessarily healthier and better. Harnessing technology, we want to empower people to live well for longer by making it easier for them to take care of their health and plan for their financial futures.

“Through this strategic partnership, we will leverage new technology solutions to make the Pulse platform more intelligent and engaging to reach out to more people across Asia and Africa, particularly those who cannot easily access health and financial information and services.”

This announcement deepens the existing relationship between Prudential and Google that began in 2019. Prudential uses Google Maps in the Pulse application, and further projects with Google Health, Document AI, and Fitbit are being explored to enhance efficiency, functionality and user engagement.

Prudential expects to benefit from Google’s suite of data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning tools, such as Kubeflow, Looker, BigQuery and Vertex AI, to enhance customer interactions and to provide more personalised, accurate healthcare information and education to Pulse app users.

In the longer term, Prudential will look to adopt Google’s AI across a broader digital strategy to make accessing insurance simpler, drive greater efficiency, and increase agent productivity.

It is also looking to improve customer experience by digitising the entire claims process, making a submission, assessment, and approval more seamless and efficient.

On his part, Mr Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud, said, “At Google Cloud, we aim to help our enterprise customers use technology to deliver outstanding experiences for their customers.

“Prudential is our significant partner and a leading insurer that has been protecting lives for nearly 175 years globally. Our work together will make it easier for people to safeguard their health and protect their finances for the long term with digital tools that are accessible.”

Adedapo Adesanya is a journalist, polymath, and connoisseur of everything art. When he is not writing, he has his nose buried in one of the many books or articles he has bookmarked or simply listening to good music with a bottle of beer or wine. He supports the greatest club in the world, Manchester United F.C.

Health

VP, Governor Hail Rite Foods’ Chairman for Trauma Centre Donation to OOUTH

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Trauma Centre Donation to OOUTH

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

The chairman of Rite Foods Limited, Mr Sulaiman Adebola Adegunwa, has been commended for donating an ultra-modern Trauma Centre to the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH) in Sagamu, Ogun State.

The facility, donated to mark his 80th birthday, is a one-stop trauma centre with all the medical equipment and healthcare personnel to handle about 2,000 trauma cases in a month, from the severe to the minor ones.

Speaking at the commissioning of the 50-bedded facility, named Sulaiman Adebola Adegunwa Trauma Centre, by the Vice President of Nigeria, Mr Kashim Shettima, on Saturday, April 5, 2025, it was stated that the centre would enhance healthcare delivery for accident victims and other trauma-related cases within Ogun and neighbouring states.

Mr Shettima noted that the provision of the healthcare facility was timely, as it aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s agenda for upgrading the health institutions in the country.

He described the life of the donor as well lived, with significant impact in the society and immediate community, creating employment for the indigenes of Ogun State, through valuable business enterprises, like Rite Foods Limited and Ess-ay Holdings Limited, which has contributed to the growth of the state’s and national economy.

According to the VP, Mr Adegunwa has inscribed his name in gold, adding that the octogenarian believes in leaving legacies that lives for generation and this has prompted the trauma centre which will impact lives tremendously.

On his part, Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State applauded the philanthropic initiative of Mr Adegunwa, saying he has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the healthcare system of Ogun State, and that the trauma centre marks a significant milestone towards attaining that.

In her remark, the Chief Medical Director of OOUTH, Dr Oluwabunmi Fatungase, said the 50 bedded centre has been the desire of the management of the hospital, as the old 20 bedded accident and emergency centre is too small to accommodate accident victims within the state, which serves as a route for travellers traversing the different regions of the country, with a 41.5 percent accident rate.

She said it is a dream of over 20 years by various administrations come true as there is no General Hospital from Lagos to Benin and Ibadan to take care of accident victims, thereby making the trauma centre a well thought out project by Asiwaju Adegunwa.

On his part, Mr Adegunwa said, “Today, l am filled with immense joy as l reflect on Sulaiman Adebola Adegunwa Trauma Centre as another fulfilment of opportunity to serve a higher calling to give and serve.”

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Health

Iwosan Investments, Mayo Clinic to Deliver World-class Healthcare Services

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Iwosan Investments

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

A partnership to advance high-quality patient-centred healthcare in Nigeria has been entered into between Iwosan Investments Limited and Mayo Clinic Global Consulting.

The aim is to advise and support Iwosan in delivering world-class healthcare services that will positively impact both local and regional communities.

This includes the enhancement of Iwosan’s hospital network starting with Iwosan Lagoon Hospitals and the development and integration of the Lagos Medipark Hospital.

Mayo Clinic Global Consulting will to provide strategic advice on organizational objectives and clinical practice.

Under the consulting contract, Iwosan will work with Mayo Clinic experts on several projects to advance high-quality, patient-centred healthcare in Nigeria.

Mayo Clinic is a global leader in serious and complex healthcare. Mayo Clinic Global Consulting is designed to share Mayo Clinic’s unique, comprehensive capabilities and knowledge.

The focus of this engagement is to help the Iwosan network improve administrative efficiencies and effectiveness and to enhance medical practice and patient care through the application of Mayo Clinic’s integrated clinical care and practice models.

 “This marks a significant milestone in our commitment to delivering exceptional healthcare services to the people of Nigeria.

“With guidance from Mayo Clinic Global Consulting, we are confident in our ability to set new benchmarks in healthcare excellence in our region,” the chief executive of Iwosan Investments, Mrs Fola Laoye, stated.

Iwosan Investments is a healthcare investment company with an ongoing commitment to revolutionize healthcare delivery in Nigeria.

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Health

NAFDAC Intensifies Efforts to Block Substandard Products from China, India

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Medication Drugs

By Adedapo Adesanya

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) is increasing efforts to block the entry of substandard and counterfeit products into Nigeria, particularly from China and India, the country’s two largest pharmaceutical trade partners.

This was revealed by Mrs Mojisola Adeyeye, the Director-General of the agency, emphasised that the Clean Report of Inspection and Analysis (CRIA) scheme has significantly strengthened regulatory control over imports from these nations.

The two nation’s account for 60 per cent of Nigeria’s pharmaceutical imports and yet, there is a lot of counterfeit and substandard medicines from these countries.

She said, “Because most of these drugs come from China and India, the CRIA scheme is operational in those two countries,” adding that, “It ensures that only safe and high-quality products are shipped while preventing the export of substandard and counterfeit products.”

She note that NAFDAC has appointed and accredited CRIA agents in China and India to conduct rigorous pre-shipment inspections to tackle the issue.

In addition to appointing CRIA agents in China and India, NAFDAC is collaborating with COTECNA, a global testing, inspection, and certification service provider, to enhance quality control measures.

Mrs Adeyeye urged stakeholders to engage with these CRIA agents before shipping any consignment to Nigeria, saying, “I strongly encourage you to engage with CRIA agents before shipping any consignment–that is, to our stakeholders– from China, India, or Nigeria. You have the flexibility to choose from any of the listed CRIA agents to ensure compliance and safeguard the quality of imported products.”

NAFDAC also introduced an electronic platform, the Port Inspection Data Capture and Risk Management System (PIDCARMS), to enhance document verification and streamline inspection processes.

Mrs Adeyeye noted that CRIA agents will ensure that rejected shipments carrying drugs will not find their way to the country.

She urged stakeholders to visit NAFDAC’s official website for guidelines on product registration, labelling, and shipment requirements to ensure compliance with regulatory standards in order to prevent such lapses and ensure only approved products enter Nigeria.

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