Capstone Project: Centre for Sustainable Health and Environment- Sustainability School
at Lagos.
The proposed project is about the setting up of a Center For Sustainable Health and Environment
as part of the proposed Sustainability School at Lagos, Nigeria. The Sustainability School at Lagos
comprises of the following three focal areas:
i.
Technology and Innovation
ii.
Health and Environment
iii.
Public Policy.
It aims to be the convergence point that utilizes multi-discipline approaches to achieve
sustainability objectives through research, demand and project- driven knowledge and education.
The Centre for Sustainable Health and Environment aims to tackle the health and environmental
challenges being witnessed in Nigeria (and later on in West Africa) using Lagos as its pilot site.
The use of Lagos as the focal location lies on the premise that as a budding metropolis, the city’s
actions and affairs have rippling effects on both neighboring and other states in the country
Scope
The main focus areas through which the center intends to carry out its activities include: Health
(communicable/ non-communicable diseases and disabilities), Environment (sanitation and waste
management) and Innovation (M-health and telemedicine practices).
The most probable initial project is the creation of RENAL RESOURCE CENTERS. The
Federal Government of Nigeria is vigorously pursuing a policy for the entrenchment of Public
Private Partnerships in the healthcare sector; Adcem Healthcare Limited and various Teaching
Hospitals will proceed to establish Renal Resource Centers to reflect a synergy between the core
competencies of both public and private institutions.
These centers will be medical and educational hubs; repositories of data through the establishment
of renal registries; and spearhead the creation of a renal reimbursement program, in a bid to deliver
innovative and quality renal care services to patients affected with the disease- especially to those
who cannot readily afford it nor have access to treatment.
The Centre for Sustainable Health and Environment through these established Renal Resource
Centers will strategically deploy mobile dialysis units to remote areas where access to dialysis
sessions has previously been impossible; and futuristically set the ground for telemedicine
practices, to curb the non-availability of medical personnel.
Description of desired outcomes and evaluation
In the recent past, there has been an upsurge in private sector participation in health and
environment infrastructure and initiatives mostly under the umbrella of Public-Private-Partnership.
There is, therefore, a space for an institution that resides in between; there is a need to approach
these issues from a research and data perspective to accelerated project focused initiatives,
applying innovative strategies to ameliorate the problem. A healthy young workforce is more
likely to embrace innovation, creativity, learning and overall social and economic development in
a sustainable environment. The focus areas and resources mentioned above will combine to
successfully tackle and complete projects in the areas of: waste- to -energy, sanitation and health
care projects.
The start date for opening the Center as a physical structure with necessary staff and other
resources will be dependent on when the Sustainability school commences operations. The School
will need to get accreditation from the Universities commission as well as other licenses from the
regulatory authorities;
Our target is therefore set for 3 – 5 years from now.
However, since projects will be our main focus, we are able to start immediately in collaboration
with partners, especially GIOS. These projects will feed back into the eventual structure of the
Center and its activities.
From the foregoing, it is clear that the evaluation of progress will be measured through projects
completed and impact reported from these projects. Project monitoring, product tracking and
medical evidence will also be made easier with the use of mobile health (m-health) tools.
Discussion of the sustainability aspects
It is Well known that the limitations of government creates a situation whereby lack of sanitary
facilities, poor solid waste management, uncontrolled industrial effluent , inappropriate sanitary
behavior, constitute health hazards resulting in the proliferation of communicable diseases.
Furthermore, there is a growing urban population and a burgeoning middle class giving rise to
chronic non-communicable diseases as a result of tenuous diet and lifestyle trends.
The foregoing coupled with inadequate infrastructure to manage these negative outcomes creates
a major challenge for sustainable development especially if we consider the fact that majority of
the population is young and vibrant. That said, we must acknowledge the fact that government,
NGOs and multilateral development organizations are working on plans such as the millennium
development goals and attacking epidemic scourges like HIV and Aids. Lagos State in particular
has taken major strides in urban vegetation and cleaning up the environment, which has inspired
other cities in Nigeria and West Africa.
Resource requirements needed
Certain resources for research and implementation need to be tapped into and private sector
partnerships need to be forged in order for the Centre to achieve laudable feats in the areas of
sustainable health and environment.
In this regard, the following institutions (with resource contacts for each one) have been identified:
a.
Arizona State University:
-
College of Health Solutions
-
Centre for Sustainable Health
-
College of Nursing and Health Innovation
-
Global Institute of Sustainability
-
Walton Sustainability Solutions Initiatives
-
School of Sustainability
b.
Lagos State University College of Medicine
c.
Africare
d.
Astra Zeneca Research Trust
e.
Lagos Business School
f.
Government Departments:
-
Federal Ministry of Health
-
Federal Ministry of Environment
g.
Corporate Organizations
h.
The Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria
-
Nigeria Health Innovation Marketplace.