The Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Medikia Finance, Adebamijo Adebiyi, has urged stakeholders to prioritise healthcare-focused financial infrastructure over conventional lending, saying sustainable financing systems are critical to strengthening Nigeria’s healthcare delivery.
Speaking in an interview, Adebiyi said pharmacies, hospitals, clinics and medical laboratories across the country are grappling with persistent cash flow challenges arising from delayed insurance reimbursements, upfront procurement costs and rising operating expenses despite growing demand for healthcare services.
He explained that unlike many other businesses, healthcare providers often purchase medicines and medical supplies before receiving payments, a funding gap that can disrupt medicine availability, compromise service quality and ultimately limit patients’ access to care.
According to him, the financial products currently available to many healthcare providers are largely designed for general businesses and fail to reflect the unique revenue cycles and operational realities of the health sector.
He said the sector requires a robust financial ecosystem that integrates business banking, digital payments, payroll management, intelligent cash-flow solutions, invoice financing, and healthcare-specific credit assessment models.
“Financial infrastructure goes beyond lending. By bringing these services together into a single ecosystem, healthcare providers can spend less time navigating financial challenges and more time focusing on patient care,” he said.
By leveraging intelligent models designed specifically for the healthcare industry, he disclosed that Medikia Finance integrates business banking, digital payments, payroll management, and smart cash flow tools alongside invoice financing and advanced credit assessment models.
Adebiyi, a graduate of Pharmacy from the Obafemi Awolowo University, also underscored the role of artificial intelligence in expanding access to finance, noting that AI-driven credit assessment can evaluate healthcare businesses using operational performance, transaction history and financial behaviour rather than relying predominantly on collateral.
He said the approach could improve access to responsible financing while enhancing the long-term sustainability of healthcare enterprises.
With Nigeria’s healthcare sector expanding through increased private-sector participation and growing demand for quality services, Adebiyi said financial systems must evolve to support the industry’s changing needs.
He maintained that building healthcare-focused financial infrastructure would enable providers to improve operational efficiency, invest in expansion, strengthen resilience and deliver better health outcomes.
“The future of healthcare will depend not only on medical innovation but also on financial innovation that empowers healthcare businesses to thrive,” he added.
