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*Moves to advance health care delivery nationwide
An interactive town hall session facilitated by UbuntuCare Africa founder, Chukwunonimem Michael Ike, sparked new conversations about access to healthcare as a meaningful form of support for Nigerians.
UbuntuCare Africa is a digital primary healthcare platform that expands access to affordable, community-focused healthcare through technology-based services, teleconsultation, diagnostics, essential medicines and strategic healthcare partnerships.
Held during the recently concluded OffChart NXT 2026 Summit in Port Harcourt, the session, titled “Rethinking Handouts: Can Healthcare Be the New Hamper?”, brought together entrepreneurs, professionals, development advocates and other stakeholders for an open discussion on the role of healthcare in everyday giving.
Structured as a participatory town hall, the session encouraged participants to examine whether traditional gifts such as food items, monetary donations and relief hampers should be complemented by healthcare support, particularly at a time when millions of Nigerians continue to face challenges in accessing affordable healthcare services.
The conversation generated strong engagement from participants, many of whom recognized the importance of food and financial assistance while agreeing that access to healthcare has become an equally urgent need for individuals and families.
One of the highlights of the discussion was Gift Health, an UbuntuCare initiative designed to enable individuals, organizations and philanthropists to gift access to healthcare to loved ones and vulnerable individuals. The session gave participants a deeper insight into how the initiative combines the spirit of traditional donation with measurable health impact, enabling sponsors to support consultations, diagnoses, medications and other healthcare services through a transparent and accountable framework.
Participants noted its importance to Nigerians in the diaspora and other sponsors seeking practical ways to support family members and communities while ensuring their contributions directly improve access to quality healthcare. This approach, participants noted, represents a natural evolution of the country’s long-standing culture of giving and social support.
Speaking during the session, Ike stressed that the conversation was not about replacing traditional forms of support, but about expanding the options available to Nigerians seeking to make a positive impact in the lives of others.
“A hamper can meet an immediate need. A healthcare gift can help someone access care when illness arrives. The question is not what should we stop giving, but what else we can make possible.”
Participants also explored how healthcare donations could be adopted by employers, community groups, cooperatives, development organizations and sponsors as part of broader social support initiatives.
Beyond the conversation itself, the town hall marked an important milestone for UbuntuCare Africa, providing a platform to present its vision of healthcare access to a diverse audience at one of the region’s premier business and innovation gatherings.
At the end of the discussions, participants largely agreed that while food, money and other forms of assistance remain essential, access to healthcare deserves greater consideration as a sustainable and impactful complement to traditional donations.
UbuntuCare Africa encourages individuals, corporate organizations, philanthropists and community leaders to embrace Gift Health as a practical way to help more Nigerians access counseling, preventive care, diagnostics, medicines and other essential health services.
