Cassona Healthcare Group has embarked on a new initiative in Lagos to provide affordable medical imaging equipment, training, and full-service support for healthcare professionals across the country, in its bid to address Nigeria’s diagnostic healthcare crisis.
This is just as the firm has model is designed to reduce the cost and complexity of accessing and managing high-end diagnostic tools to serve ailing patients in the country.
Speaking at the launch, the chairman/CEO of Cassona Healthcare Group, John Chigbu, reiterated its commitment to solving long-standing diagnostic bottlenecks by making equipment accessible and ensuring it remains functional round-the-clock.
According to him, in many clinics across Nigeria, medical imaging either doesn’t exist or is outdated and unreliable, we’ve built a system where doctors pay just 20 per cent upfront and spread the rest over 24 months. He added that, ‘we also maintain the equipment, supply power backups, and train the staff to use it properly.’
Chigbu emphasised that while its focus its not just selling machines, but solving a systemic problem through an ecosystem approach.
“Our doctors are some of the best trained in theory, but many never get to use modern imaging tools during their education, we have introduced a mobile academy and a permanent training platform Cassona Edge where radiologists, sonographers, and other medical professionals can receive hands-on instruction and continuing education,” he noted.
The initiative also includes the development of experience centres fully functional diagnostic centres that serve both as service hubs and demonstration models. “These centres give healthcare workers and patients a firsthand feel of how modern diagnostics should function. We want to reset expectations about what is possible in medical imaging within Nigeria,” Chigbu averred.
While the strategic decision to test the model in Ghana before expanding to Nigeria has been applauded for being effective, he noted that, “In Ghana, we installed over 140 imaging systems and responded to more than 300 service calls, each within 24 hours, and resolved within 48. It was important for us to prove that our model works before scaling up in Nigeria’s more complex market.”
“At Cassona, our goal is not to create a monopoly but to galvanize the private sector to join forces in making healthcare work in Nigeria. He stressed that the government’s role is to create an enabling environment, while it is up to the private sector to drive innovation and progress in healthcare,” said Chigbu.
Commenting, Commercial Counsellor for the United States to Nigeria, Julie LeBlanc, lauded the innovative and sustainable approach while stating such initiatives align with broader U.S. goals for healthcare development across Africa
Also speaking at the event, representing, the Lagos State government, Mrs Ogunyemi, said Cassona’s model aligns with the state’s THEMES Plus health agenda. “We’re looking for partners who take the burden off the public sector. Cassona does that by handling training, spare parts, and maintenance in one package. These are the partnerships Lagos needs to improve diagnostic quality and healthcare access for all,” he said.
