Edo State government embraces technology to expand healthcare access, with Governor Okpebholo urging innovations like AI to improve affordability and patient outcomes

Edo State government has reaffirmed its commitment to leveraging technology and innovation to enhance access to quality healthcare across the state.

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Governor Monday Okpebholo made this known on Thursday at the 19th Scientific Conference and Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Association of Orthodontics in Benin City.

The event was themed: “Embracing Technology and Innovations in Orthodontics: Pioneering the Future.”

Represented by Commissioner for Health Dr Cyril Oshiomhole, the governor stressed that technology is central to advancing healthcare delivery.

He said Edo was strengthening professional training, collaborating with health associations, and promoting innovations to raise standards and improve affordability.

“For us in Nigeria, the real challenge is to ensure these innovations do not remain out of reach for the majority of our people,” Okpebholo noted.

“We must embrace technology in a way that improves access, affordability, and safety for all.”

He added that orthodontics goes beyond aligning teeth, as it restores confidence, enhances speech, nutrition, and overall well-being. He praised the association for its consistency and contribution to oral health in Nigeria.

Okpebholo also highlighted the transformative role of artificial intelligence in orthodontics, calling on practitioners to adopt emerging technologies to improve patient outcomes.

Earlier, Dr Olayinka Adeyinka, President of the Nigerian Association of Orthodontics, underscored the specialty’s importance in managing malocclusions and rehabilitating babies born with cleft lip and palate, often from low-income families.

He commended orthodontists for easing the burden of care through timely interventions and extended best wishes to incoming president Prof Idia Ize-Iyamu as she assumed leadership of the association.

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The conference, attended by experts and stakeholders nationwide, reiterated the vital role of innovation in shaping the future of oral and general healthcare in Nigeria.