Abayomi of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Yaba, made the call at a conference organised by an NGO, Nigeria Global Trials’ Network in Lagos.

Its theme was: “Collaborations, Networks and Partnerships for Health Research Conduct in Nigeria.“

He said that the country lacked good health system due to poor governance.

Abayomi said that there was need for health professionals to change focus from hard core medicine and embark on research in social, anthropology and policy to effect changes in the health system.

“The definition of global health is where we are not just looking at our patients and healthcare infrastructure.

“We are looking at the politics and governance associated with health.

“At the moment, we recognise that our health systems are failing because of lack of good governance as it relates to delivering health as basic human rights to Nigerians.

“So, we do not have a system in place that determines the quality of health.

“There is environmental pollution, lack of access to healthcare facilities and mental stress in Nigeria.

“We need to embark on legislative review and change the paradigm of governance in Africa.

“As doctors, this is what is expected of the environment and this is the law that will correct it.

“So, the law must determine what happens in our environment to ensure and guarantee the health of the citizens,“ he said.

Also, a family physician, Dr Gbenga Ogunfowokan of the National Hospital, Abuja, said that the essence of the conference was to build capacity of researchers in the country.

Ogunfowokan said: “The general public will benefit when the capacity of researchers are built.

“Research will be done based on the need of our local environment, using standard approaches recognised all over the world; the outcome is that the health indices of our country will improve.

“It will encourage local research based on the needs of the community. “

In her remarks, a Professor of Dentistry, Obafemi Awolowo University, Morenike Folayan, said that there was need to train more researchers in the country to think within the global context.

Folayan said that young researchers lacked the fund and luxury to travel out to build capacity.

“Lots of young researchers do not have the opportunity the older ones had in terms of travelling out to learn more.

“It is a big gap. So, what we can do as global health is to bring experts from outside the country to motivate our researchers.

“The researchers, hopefully, will be stimulated, in spite of the fact that they are here in the country and not abroad; they can still make a difference,“ she said.