The Nigerian Healthcare Excellence Award (NHEA) has officially opened online voting for its 2026 edition, as the healthcare sector prepares for this year's ceremony aimed at recognizing excellence and innovation across Nigeria's healthcare industry.
Award Categories for 2026
The 2026 award categories cover key sectors of the healthcare industry, including healthcare delivery services, diagnostics and laboratory medicine, health insurance, oncology, IVF services, biomedical technology, pharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution, physiotherapy, healthcare innovation, and healthcare media excellence.
Voting Phase Begins
In a statement signed by the Director of Marketing, Communication and Strategy for NHEA, Moses Braimah, the organizers said the commencement of online voting marks the beginning of the final phase of public participation ahead of the award ceremony scheduled for June 26, 2026.
According to the statement, the nominees emerged after an extensive nomination and screening process conducted by the NHEA Jury. Healthcare institutions, professionals, healthcare technology companies, diagnostics providers, pharmaceutical firms, HMOs, and media organizations were shortlisted across several categories.
NHEA as a Leading Recognition Platform
The statement described the Nigerian Healthcare Excellence Award as a leading recognition platform within Nigeria's healthcare sector. It noted that the award continues to spotlight organizations and individuals contributing to improved healthcare delivery, innovation, quality standards, and patient outcomes in the country.
Speaking on the significance of the online voting process, Braimah said the 2026 edition reflects what he described as the growing maturity and competitiveness of Nigeria's healthcare ecosystem. He stated that NHEA has continued to evolve as a credible platform for recognizing healthcare excellence, innovation, leadership, and impact.
Braimah added that the quality of entries and nominations received this year demonstrates the progress being made across different segments of the healthcare industry. He further said this year's nominees represent institutions and individuals driving transformation, expanding access to quality care, and setting new standards for service delivery.
Transparency and Credibility
Braimah also noted that the awards process involves independent verification and assessment exercises for selected categories to ensure transparency, credibility, and integrity in the evaluation process.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of NHEA, Vivian Alikali, stressed the importance of public participation in the awards process. She encouraged healthcare stakeholders, patients, partners, and members of the public to participate actively by voting for their preferred organizations and individuals.
Alikali noted that public engagement remains an important component of the awards because it provides an opportunity to recognize institutions and professionals making meaningful impact within communities and across the healthcare sector.
How to Vote
The organizers urged members of the public to participate in the voting exercise through the dedicated online voting portal on the official NHEA website. According to the statement, participants are expected to create and authenticate accounts using their registered email addresses before proceeding with the voting process.
Important Dates
Online voting commenced on May 20, 2026, and is expected to close on June 19, 2026. Winners in the various categories will be unveiled during the awards ceremony scheduled to hold on Friday, June 26, 2026, at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.
