HEALTH MARKETING AND HEALTHCARE SERVICES TRANSFORMATION IN NIGERIA: THE ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY
Abstract
This study examined the role of technology in health marketing and healthcare services transformation in Nigeria. Healthcare marketing refers to the application of marketing concepts and principles in healthcare service delivery. It includes coordinated set of strategies and communication tactics employed by healthcare organizations to promote their market offerings /reach their customers in order to foster customer engagement and improve healthcare service outcomes. One sure way of achieving transformation in healthcare service delivery is the introduction and application related technologies for effectives services delivery. The study used adopted a desk research method were it used secondary data. It was observed that application of technological in the healthcare marketing in Nigeria is saddled with a lot of challenges such as non-stringent government policies and regulations of adopting technological transformation by healthcare service providers/marketers, high level of digital/computer illiteracy, lake of functional tech-gadgets and amenities among other. The following recommendations were made: conscious development of comprehensive government policies and regulations on technological transformation in Nigeria in the health sector, provision of enabling and sustainable healthcare technologies/infrastructures by stakeholders in the healthcare sector, training and retraining of healthcare workers on the utilization and application of modern healthcare technologies, and creation of digital healthcare awareness and education to healthcare services customers among others.
Keywords: Healthcare/services, health marketing, technology and transformation.
Otobo Perearau Ph.D.
Department of Business Education
Isaac Jasper Boro College of Education, Sagbama, Bayelsa State
operearau@gmail.com
John I. N. Inyanga, Ph.D.
Professor of Social Marketing
Department of Marketing
Faculty of Management Sciences, Imo State University, Owerri
inyangaboy@yahoo.com