Dr. Adaeze Oreh is the 27th Commissioner of Health for Rivers State, Nigeria, and a highly accomplished consultant family physician with over 23 years of experience in private and public healthcare. She was also the Country Director of planning, research, and statistics for Nigeria’s National Blood Service Agency (NBSA), formerly National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS), where she advocated for blood policies that reduce maternal and child mortality, prevent the transmission of infectious diseases through unsafe transfusions, and improved access to safely screened blood in remote and conflict-affected communities.
From 2009 to 2014, Dr. Oreh served as the NBTS Coordinator for Abuja, Nasarawa, and Niger States, collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Health, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Her work involved policy formulation, operations supervision, quality assurance, emergency preparedness, and information management, significantly contributing to blood safety in Nigeria. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she leveraged her expertise in risk communications by participating in over 30 interviews and publishing more than 50 editorials to educate the public on the pandemic.
In 2017, Dr. Oreh founded Kaibeya Care Foundation Africa, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing medical and educational support to underserved communities in Northern Nigeria. Through her foundation, she conducts voluntary medical outreach programs and advocacy campaigns focused on maternal and child health, literacy, and community development. She also sits on several non-profit advisory boards and actively supports initiatives in blood safety, public health, women and youth empowerment, and education.
A prolific writer, Dr. Oreh has published articles on pressing health and development issues in international, national, and local media outlets. She holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and Master of Science (MSc) degrees in International Health Management from Imperial College London and Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Additionally, she has earned leadership and public policy certifications from institutions such as Oxford Saïd Business School, Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard Kennedy School, and the University of Washington.
Dr. Oreh is a Fellow of the West African College of Physicians, the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, and the Royal Society of Public Health. Prior to her appointment as Commissioner, she served on the pioneer Governing Council of Nigeria’s first private university of medical sciences.
Through her leadership, advocacy, and humanitarian work, Dr. Adaeze Oreh continues to drive transformative change in healthcare and public policy across Nigeria and beyond.
Your experience spans clinical medicine, public health leadership, and humanitarian advocacy. What early experiences helped shape the woman you are today?
The woman I am today was largely forged from how I was raised and the experiences I had growing up. Born into a family with two working professional parents – one in medicine and the other in law, I was exposed to a passionate and driven work ethic from early on. Additionally, both parents were committed to social outreach and humanitarianism through the community, church, and professional associations. They deployed their professional skills and expertise to public health, substance abuse awareness, women’s empowerment, and education. This, therefore, nurtured a mindset where my siblings and I recognised that our professional and academic attainments were to serve a larger purpose than simply personal development.
Which part of your identity as a physician, policymaker, mother, and advocate resonates with you the most today?
All the facets of my identity as a physician, policymaker, mother, and advocate resonate with me today, because they all feed into each other. Certainly, my approach as a physician, policymaker, and advocate are inextricably linked to my being a mother. As a woman, I believe that one of the greatest strengths that any woman can bring to any role, is the multi-faceted perspective that the many hats or ‘geles’ that she wears.
During your tenure as the 27th Commissioner of Health for Rivers State, what realities of the Nigerian health system kept you up at night, and what gave you hope?
One glaring reality for me serving as Commissioner for Health in one of NIgeria’s most populous states (over 9.2 million people) was how fragmented and siloed health system interventions usually are. We have numerous services and programmes that try to work in isolation, omitting a crucial fact, that it is the interlinking of services and programmes that creates effective functionality. By addressing healthcare provision systematically and holistically, we can interrogate these interventions more effectively by assessing the patient/family/community experience.
For example, take a primary healthcare centre in Akuku Toru local government area in Rivers State. A family with two under-five aged children and a nursing mother goes into the facility to access healthcare services. However, their perception of satisfaction will depend on multiple factors. Where they attended to promptly and respectfully (healthcare workers), were their required services such as immunization, postnatal care, etc available (service delivery), did they receive the medicines/vaccines that they needed (medicines availability), was payment required at the point of care (health insurance), and was there ready access to their health records (health information).
In the event that it was an emergency that brought them in, were they supported in being transported from their home/community to the centre (emergency medical services)? Or would they have access to higher-level facilities where they could be referred to in the event of any complications (referral systems)? It is this systemic approach that I would say kept me up at night, thinking more along the lines of how these separate moving parts feed into the intended outcome of a satisfactory patient/client experience. However, one thing that gave me substantial hope and the perseverance to keep going was the positive reactions and experiences shared from people and communities on the improvements that came out of incremental positive developments in the healthcare environment.
You work in environments where women are still underrepresented. What has leadership as a woman in Nigerian public health demanded of you?
I recently read an article based on an interview given by Angela Duckworth, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and MacArthur Fellow, on what she saw to be a common denominator of high achievers, regardless of their field. She said it is a special combination of passion and perseverance for really long-term goals. In other words, “grit.” In essence, putting in the hard work required to deliver results in your area of specialty, striving to hone your craft regardless of challenges or obstacles, and most definitely, resilience. So that when things don’t go according to plan, as they often tend to, you still have that “keep pushing” mentality that drives you to get up the next minute, or the next day even, and relentlessly forge ahead.
What structural shifts must occur for us to build a health system that truly centers women not just as patients, but as leaders and decision-makers?
To build a health system that truly centers women not just as patients, but as leaders and decision-makers, we actually need to be honest with ourselves. As global health currently stands, women account for up to 70% of the global health and social care workforce. However, the majority of them are over-represented in informal, low-status and low-paid “care” roles, while there is a stark under-representation in professional and leadership positions.
According to the World Health Organization, it is estimated that women provide essential health services for around 5 billion people worldwide, with a financial value of women’s input into health systems estimated to be over US$3 trillion annually. Beyond these statistics, extensive global research from McKinsey and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have demonstrated a positive correlation between more women and diversity in leadership and improved organizational outcomes and performance. That’s the hard data backed by evidence. We need to move away from the mindset that effective, transformational leadership is male. Competence and capability should not be gendered.
Across Nigerian states, this shift is gradually taking place, as several subnational health systems are led by several remarkable women – in Kaduna, Kwara, Zamfara, Ogun, Imo, Oyo, and the Federal Capital Territory. Additionally, all three Presidential Advisers/Special Assistants on Health are women. While these are not long lists, it is certainly a marked improvement from times past when only one or two women were statutory members of the National Council on Health (the highest decision-making body for health in Nigeria). In 2020, the highest decision-making body for health had about 11% representation. As of 2025, this had doubled to 22%.
How do you intentionally mentor young women aspiring to careers in medicine, governance, or global health?
Twelve years ago, I decided to become more deliberate and intentional in my mentoring of early-mid career women and young girls. I have done this by sharing my experiences and lessons, and encouraging them to seek out and leverage existing opportunities for service and leadership. I have shared networking and career opportunities with many such women, and earlier on, when my work schedule permitted, I would often have weekly/twice weekly conversations with mentees, discussing their challenges, experiences, and discussing strategies to increase their career development and leadership skills.
Now that my time is greatly limited, I rely largely on my writing and speaking engagements and platforms to cast my mentoring net a bit more widely. I have been involved with the Amujae Leadership Initiative, Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) as a mentor to some of the YALI leaders, Women in Global Health Nigeria, WILAN Global, White Ribbon Alliance, Women in Healthcare Network, LiveWell Initiative, Medical Women’s Association, Nigerian Medical Association, Society of Family Physicians of Nigeria, House Officers Forum and National Association of Resident Doctors.
I have therefore mentored a cross-section of healthcare professionals in healthcare service delivery, global and public health, and medical education. Some of my mentees’ affiliations have included Deloitte, Harvard School of Public Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Imperial College London, National Health Service UK, Royal Society of Medicine, Ministries of Health, health agencies and parastatals, and various tertiary health and educational institutions on the continent.
The primary challenges I believe the African woman contends with every day of her life is second-guessing herself and her abilities, and not having a sense of complete ownership of her life. Subject to personal, societal, and cultural experiences, many African women are told from an early age that not much achievement is expected of them, and their lives have minimal economic and social worth as compared to male counterparts. Getting women to understand that they can achieve whatever they put their minds to and that living lives of their choice are very viable possibilities is something I try to constantly and regularly reinforce by messages to African women in all the spheres in which I live and have impact – my consulting room, policy-making rooms, development projects, media, schools, and communities. In addition, I actively seek out opportunities to nominate women for positions and projects.
What role should Nigeria play in shaping the future of public health leadership across Africa?
Nigeria is the most populous and one of the most geographically and ethnically diverse nations in Africa. Furthermore, we have a youth-prevalent population. Therefore, what we contend with as a country surpasses most other African countries in scale and magnitude. Whilst there has been some progress over the years, challenges still plaguing our healthcare system include severe brain drain with a critical shortage of doctors, nurses, and specialists, with many migrating abroad due to poor working conditions, low pay, and limited career development, inadequate funding and infrastructure resulting in dilapidated facilities, lack of modern equipment, frequent power outages, and scarcity of medicines.
Also, the sector is characterised by a weak primary healthcare (PHC) system, with many PHCs being dysfunctional, understaffed, and underutilized, causing patients to bypass them for overloaded tertiary hospitals; staggeringly high out-of-pocket expenses due to low health insurance penetration, most Nigerians pay directly for care, making quality healthcare unaffordable and catastrophic for a large proportion of the population. There is also a yawning urban-rural divide with healthcare services heavily skewed towards urban areas, leaving rural populations with limited or no access to basic medical services.
Additional barriers to quality healthcare delivery include supply chain and medicines issues with the prevalence of fake, substandard, or counterfeit drugs in the market, inadequate, fragmented, or nonexistent health data and information systems, which hinder effective planning, disease tracking, and decision-making. To cap it all, frequent industrial action by health workers due to poor remuneration and, in some cases, delayed salaries, severely disrupts patient care.
Therefore, if we as a country intentionally seek to take the reins in addressing our current healthcare challenges, we will set the template for Africa’s dominance in public health leadership.
This year’s International Women’s Day theme highlights giving, reciprocity, and collaboration to improve gender equality. What does the theme mean to you personally and professionally?
The theme for the 2026 International Women’s Day means giving of our voice, our skills, our experience and our time to improve gender equality. The few women currently in positions of leadership must consciously and intentionally open “merit-based” doors for other women – through formal mentorship or the creation of networking opportunities via collaborative platforms I mentioned earlier – WGHN, WILAN Global, WIHCN, etc. Secondly, collaboration means that we must engage the men.
Each of the recommendations above cannot be implemented successfully without involving men. For this to happen effectively, both women and men need to first perceive ourselves as intellectually equal. Male leaders serving as champions can set the tone for inclusive leadership, speak out on issues such as sexual harassment, and ensure that non-discriminatory policies are instituted and implemented.
Let us leverage that same patriarchal system that has hindered women for decades by working with influential male leaders who understand the enormous benefits of having women in healthcare leadership and are committed to using their power and influence to enable the rise of women. Examples of effective women in leadership abound now in Nigeria, especially in the private sector, where banking, energy, power, and hospitality are leading this charge.
What message would you give to women who feel invisible, unheard, or undervalued in their fields?
I have two quotes that resonate deeply with me, which I would like to share with women who feel invisible, unheard, or undervalued in their fields. The first is from Rupi Kaur (Poet, Illustrator, Photographer & Author), “What’s the greatest lesson a woman should learn? That since day one, she’s already had everything she needs within herself. It’s the world that convinced her she did not.” You are all you need to shine and to thrive, as that is how we were created by the Almighty to be.
The second is from the late Jane Goodall (Primatologist & Anthropologist), who has greatly inspired me from my teenage years, “One individual cannot possibly make a difference, alone. It is individual efforts, collectively, that make a noticeable difference – all the difference in the world!” Lifting each other up in the backdrop of giving, reciprocity, and collaboration that highlights this year’s IWD theme will be a collective effort. We can move this mountain only if we act together.
How do you envision a healthier, more equal society for women?
My vision of a healthier and more equitable society for women is one where gender is no longer a determinant of health outcomes, safety, education, or economic opportunity.
A health system that moves beyond just reproductive health to address the full spectrum of women’s health, including non-communicable diseases (NCDs), mental health, and aging. This includes closing the “gender data gap” by ensuring women are adequately represented in medical research. Also, ensuring accessible, high-quality, affordable healthcare, particularly in rural or underserved areas, reducing maternal and infant mortality, and removing the stigma around mental health issues for women, who often face unique stress.
Additionally, equal access to quality education for girls and women, equipping them with the knowledge and skills necessary for the modern workforce, actively dismantling cultural and religious stereotypes and practices that limit women’s potential or devalue their role in society, engaging men and boys as allies in promoting gender equality, rather than a “women’s issue.” Full access to the labour market, financial services, and property ownership, enabling women to lead lives of self-reliance; systemic support for caregivers, such as shared parental leave and accessible childcare. Zero Tolerance for gender-based violence (domestic abuse, sexual harassment, rape) through robust, enforced legal frameworks, swift justice systems, and safe environments. This vision also includes parity in leadership, with women occupying 50% of leadership positions across government, corporate boards, and health institutions, thereby ensuring that women have a seat at the table in decision-making, particularly concerning policy, peace processes, and community development.
This future requires moving beyond formal equality to true equity—recognizing that women require different, tailored levels of support to achieve the same, high-quality outcomes as men, with the goal being a society that benefits from the full, unlimited potential of all women—a change that ultimately drives progress for all, regardless of gender.
*Get to know about Dr. Adaeze Oreh and read more about the work she does.
