…31 Winners, Healthcare Icons Honoured at Nigeria’s Premier
The finest institutions, professionals and innovators in Nigeria’s healthcare sector were celebrated on Friday night as the Nigerian Healthcare Excellence Awards (NHEA) 2026 honoured outstanding achievements across the healthcare value chain at a colourful ceremony held at Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The event, attended by healthcare leaders, policymakers, regulators, development partners, healthcare professionals and industry stakeholders, also recognised distinguished individuals whose lifelong contributions have shaped healthcare delivery, education, financing and medical innovation in Nigeria.
Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, Honourable Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, who graced the occasion as the Special Guest of Honour, commended all the award recipients and nominees for their outstanding contributions to strengthening Nigeria’s healthcare system.
The Minister described the nominees and winners as ambassadors of excellence whose dedication continues to inspire confidence in Nigeria’s health sector. He encouraged the organisers to sustain the awards, noting that recognising excellence remains an important catalyst for improved quality, innovation and accountability in healthcare delivery.
Dr. Salako further reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to building a stronger, more resilient and accessible healthcare system through ongoing reforms, strategic investments, partnerships and policies aimed at improving health outcomes for all Nigerians.
Speaking at the ceremony, Dr. Anthony Omolola, Chairman of the NHEA Advisory Board, congratulated all nominees, noting that being shortlisted from more than 120 nominations was itself a remarkable achievement. He described the awards as a celebration of resilience, innovation, leadership and service by individuals and organisations working tirelessly to strengthen healthcare delivery across the country. He also reaffirmed NHEA’s commitment to maintaining a transparent, merit-based process founded on public nominations, voting, independent verification, extensive research and rigorous assessment by an independent Jury and Advisory Board.
The 2026 edition, themed “Innovation, Local Manufacturing and Digital Transformation,” highlighted the growing role of technology, indigenous capacity, research and collaboration in advancing healthcare delivery and achieving sustainable health system transformation.
One of the highlights of the evening was the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Awards to three distinguished healthcare icons:
- Dr. Ladi Awosika, for his pioneering contributions to healthcare financing and health system development.
- Sir Ike Onyechi, for his exceptional leadership in pharmacy practice and healthcare entrepreneurship.
- Emeritus Professor Samuel Chukwunonyerem Ohaegbulam, for his outstanding contributions to neurosurgery, medical education and specialist healthcare.
Special Recognition Awards were also presented to Professor Kingsley Ekwueme, who received the Diaspora Excellence Award for pioneering leadership in robotic and minimally invasive surgery, and Professor Mildred Edet John, honoured for her exceptional contributions to nursing leadership, education and professional development.
A total of 31 winners emerged across diverse categories such as healthcare delivery, pharmaceuticals, laboratory medicine, biomedical technology, health insurance, media, innovation and healthcare administration following a rigorous process which involved public nominations, public voting, independent verification, auditing, industry research and evaluation by the NHEA Independent Jury and Advisory Board. Among the winners were FCMB (Outstanding Healthcare Financial Institution of the Year), Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA) (State Government Health Insurance of the Year), University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (Public Tertiary Healthcare Facility of the Year), Iwosan Lagoon Hospitals (Private Tertiary Healthcare Facility of the Year), Leadway Health Limited (Health Maintenance Organization of the Year), Gabbi Health (Innovative Healthcare Service Provider of the Year), Fidson Healthcare Plc (Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Company of the Year), and Codix Pharma Limited (Technology-Driven Pharmaceutical Distributor of the Year), among others.
The organisers expressed appreciation to the Advisory Board, Independent Jury, nominees, partners, sponsors and stakeholders for their continued confidence in the integrity of the awards process, which has become the benchmark for recognising excellence in Nigeria’s healthcare sector.
The Nigerian Healthcare Excellence Awards (NHEA) is organised by Global Health Project and Resources (GHPR) in collaboration with the Anadach Group, USA, and is proudly supported by PharmAccess Foundation and Digital Clinical Laboratory (DCL) as Title Sponsors. For over a decade, NHEA has remained Nigeria’s foremost platform for recognising excellence, innovation, leadership and outstanding contributions across the healthcare value chain while promoting higher standards of quality healthcare delivery nationwide.
