The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, has emphasised that the optimisation of medical services within the Nigerian Army hinges on the integration of standardised administrative protocols and stronger inter-agency collaboration.
He made this known while receiving the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Defence Health Maintenance Limited, Azeeze Bayo Afolayan, during a courtesy visit to Army Headquarters in Abuja.
The COAS noted that as the Army continues to conduct complex operations across the country’s six geopolitical zones, maintaining both the physical and mental readiness of personnel remains a strategic priority requiring a responsive and modern healthcare system.
He stressed that personnel welfare must extend beyond active service to include retired officers and soldiers, highlighting the socio-economic challenges often faced after retirement.
“After a lifetime of dedicated service, the man must survive,” he said, reaffirming the Army’s commitment to ensuring that veterans are not left without financial and medical support.
General Shaibu described the DHML boss as a valuable “insider,” whose continued contribution after retirement underscores the importance of institutional memory in strengthening national service.
In his remarks, Afolayan advocated for the institutionalisation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), particularly within human resources and administrative departments of military medical units.
He explained that effective healthcare delivery depends on clearly defined processes, including the use of standardised documentation to replace ad-hoc practices, thereby improving efficiency and accuracy in personnel data management.
Afolayan further outlined a framework for optimising the use of Secondary Care Providers (SCPs), noting that expanding their role would enable better distribution of medical personnel across units.
According to him, leveraging well-equipped SCPs would enhance access to specialist care for troops, especially those deployed in high-risk operational theatres, while also ensuring a more cost-effective and coordinated healthcare system for the Nigerian Army.
