No Hospital, No Problem —Telemedicine Bringing Check-ups Closer to Nigerians

It may interest you to know that virtual healthcare has truly evolved. No hospital? No problem. With something as simple as a video call, you can now speak to a qualified doctor and get attended to, and all from the comfort of your home. If you ask me, that’s such a relief.

Yet, many people don’t realize they’re due for a check-up. Some just ride the wave, waiting until something feels wrong. Others aren’t sure how often or how thorough their checkups should be.

I’ve heard the elderly say things like, “I for go do check-up o, but once you reach hospital, dem go ask for too many things. Person go first waste time dey wait before e reach your turn. Ah and the price eh!”

What if I told you that you could cut through all the corners with telemedicine? Not in a “you’re risking your life” kind of way, but in a “you’re about to make your life so much easier” kind of way.

How Often Should We Really Check Up?

One major reason why we should do check-ups is for prevention purposes, and a more technical term would be preventive care. 

According to Wikipedia preventive healthcare, or prophylaxis, is the application of healthcare measures to prevent diseases. It is basically taking the bull by the horn. 

And so if you plan to nip that illness in the bud, you should understand that for most adults, routine check-ups — blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, weight, and a quick history review should be done once to twice a year.  

The situation is a little different for people with chronic conditions like diabetes or hypertension. Their visits should come as frequently as every 2-3 months depending on stability.

How Telemedicine Brings Check-Ups Closer to Nigerians

Now that we are sure how important it is to go for check-ups, it should also come without preaching that with telemedicine, you can book a short video consultation, share symptoms or home readings, and decide with a doctor whether a lab test or medication adjustment is needed.

A total of 150 million cellular mobile connections were active in Nigeria in early 2025, with this figure equivalent to 64.0 percent of the total population. This data portal opens us to the number of Nigerians who have access to care through their phone and cellular devices. 

What this means is faster advice for common complaints, early detection of high blood pressure from home readings, medication refills without leaving work, and mental-health check-ins without a commute. 

A quantitative analysis carried out by Tina Hernandez-Boussard shows telemedicine can reduce hospital wait times and ease pressure on busy clinics. 

A study showed that Nigeria suffers from a shortage of medical personnel. As the country faces a "brain drain" crisis, where skilled medical professionals leave the country in search of better opportunities abroad. This further proves the relevance and ability of telemedicine to make healthcare check-ups more accessible to Nigerians. 

Imagine a busy market woman who uses a 15-minute evening video consult for a headache, gets referred for a simple lab test nearby, and starts treatment the same week.  No whole day lost, no alienating queues, and a problem caught early.

Make Prevention Your Habit

If you’ve been postponing a check-up because of travel, cost, or time, try a telemedicine visit this month. Platforms like Premium Medicare Service offer virtual consultations, coordinated lab orders, medication delivery, and follow-up reminders. 

Prevention, they say, is better than cure. Telemedicine is saying no hospital, no problem.