Health Update: Nigeria’s Preventive Healthcare Gets Boost As WelFAS Unveils Digital Wellness Solution – Independent Newspaper Nigeria – What Experts Say

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LAGOS – Nigeria’s preventive health‑ care system has received a major boost with the un‑ veiling of WelFAS, an artificial intelligence‑powered wellness application developed to combat life‑ style‑related diseases and expand nationwide access to preventive health services.

The application, developed by Cynosure WelFAS Limited, was launched under the theme “Safe, Smart, Sustainable: The Future of Total Wellness & Fitness Transformation in Nigeria.” It integrates fitness tracking, calorie analysis, medical consultations and AI-driven health insights into a single platform aimed at promoting healthier living.

Speaking at the launch, Director of Cynosure Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and founder of WelFAS, Ogbe Omoruyi, explained that the Health‑ Tech solution was created to help Nigerians and other users improve their wellness, fitness and overall health through disciplined lifestyle changes.

Omoruyi, a plastic surgeon, said the idea was inspired by the struggles many individuals face in achieving their body goals due to poor calorie estimation and lack of structured guidance. He noted that the growing burden of lifestyle-related diseases such as hypertension and diabetes underscores the need for practical preventive tools.

According to him, the WelFAS app allows users to scan images of their meals to assess calorie content and track daily intake against recommended energy targets. The platform can generate customised daily and annual meal plans tailored to individual goals, encouraging users to maintain a negative energy balance where necessary to achieve gradual and sustainable weight loss. He stressed that weight management should be approached as a longterm lifestyle commitment rather than a short-term effort, adding that consistency and discipline remain essential.

Beyond nutrition tracking, the app integrates artificial intelligence to answer health-related questions, interpret uploaded laboratory results and facilitate consultations with certified doctors and nutritionists. Users can book virtual appointments and receive professional advice, a feature Omoruyi said would help bridge gaps created by Nigeria’s declining doctor-to-patient ratio and limited access to healthcare professionals.

While emphasising that the app’s primary aim is to promote healthy living and prevent extreme medical interventions, he acknowledged that bariatric surgery remains an option for individuals classified as morbidly obese, particularly those with a Body Mass Index above 40 who are unable to lose weight through conventional means. He explained that such procedures reduce stomach capacity to enable controlled food intake but should only be undertaken following proper medical recommendation. Subscribers, he added, may receive discounted rates on certain corrective procedures if required.

Omoruyi, said, “The App is the brainchild of Cynosure WelFAS Limited. WelFAS is designed to help people improve wellness, fitness and body goals. It aims to support Nigerians, and indeed anyone, in maintaining good health.

“It is intended for anyone seeking to remain fit or improve their health, including those with conditions such as hypertension and diabetes. Many have experienced transformations through lifestyle changes.

“Healthy living, eating balanced meals, maintaining appropriate weight, and managing calorie in‑ take, has a direct impact on wellness. Avoiding excess energy balance pre‑ vents unnecessary weight gain and improves health.

“Many people set body goals but fail to achieve them, often due to lack of knowledge about calorie content in food. This inspired the creation of WelFAS. The app allows users to assess calories by analysing pictures of meals, helping them make informed choices.

“The app can also generate one‑year and daily meal plans. For example, if a daily target is 1,600 kilocalories, each meal and snack can be scanned to calculate total intake, ensuring users remain within recommended limits.

“By following this consistently, users build stamina and discipline, much like training at the gym. Discipline and consistency are essential, as maintaining a healthy weight is a lifestyle, not a one‑day effort. Daily, weekly and monthly habits eventually become part of life.

“As a HealthTech app, WelFAS offers more than nutrition tracking. Users can book consultations, access artificial intelligence support for health questions, and upload laboratory results for analysis. Doctors can review results alongside health challenges and provide advice, bridging the gap in healthcare access.

“In a country with declining doctor‑to‑population ratios, the app provides affordable access to health‑ care support. It encourages lifestyle changes and helps users live healthily.

“As a health app, WelFAS monitors food intake, supports exercise, and promotes health awareness through tests, investigations, and consultations with doctors and nutritionists. All these functions are integrated into one platform.”

“Weight is in categories. Some people are so big that they cannot do anything. Someone with a BMI over 45 has a compromised health condition. BMI is a measure of weight in relation to height. Some individuals are classified as morbidly obese. A BMI above 40 indicates morbid obesity, which poses a serious health risk. In severe cases, affected individuals may be unable to walk or carry out basic activities, and some may need to be lifted from their beds or chairs.

“People should not shy away from bariatric surgery if it is recommend‑ ed to them by their physician. Bariatric surgery is a surgery that helps to reduce the size of your stomach so that whenever you eat, you are unable to eat so much that will give you too much calorie that your body needs per time.

The Cynosure Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and founder, WelFAS boss, further said, “That alone for some people is a discouraging factor. They don’t want to have excess skin and they will tell you, my body will be flab‑ by if I lose so much weight. Whereas all can be achieved together.

“The primary reason for this app is not to do surgery. However, it is there to let you know that surgery is available at a discount, if you need surgery.

“My advice for Nigerians on well‑ ness is that, please, Nigerians, let’s take our health seriously. Let us develop healthy lifestyle. By the way, weight loss is one major thing about wellness, right? There are other life‑ style changes that we need to deal with, and that includes staying away from excessive alcohol for those who cannot stop, and then staying away from poor sleep,” the Medical Director added.

Artificial Intelligence Project Adviser for the app, Obumneme John-Kennedy, said WelFAS was designed to integrate AI in a practical and user-friendly manner. He explained that unlike many foreign fitness programmes that recommend foods not readily available in Nigeria, the app allows users to maintain local diets while managing portion sizes and calorie intake.

“With this app, you don’t have to stop eating fufu or eba. You can scan your meals and know what is appropriate for your body, based on your age, weight and health goals,” he said.

Medical programme consultant, Victoria Bakare, said rising cases of obesity and lifestyle-related diseases make structured wellness support increasingly essential. She noted that the platform caters to individuals seeking weight loss, weight gain, muscle building or general fitness maintenance.

The subscription-based app is available to individuals and corporate organisations, with discounted packages for companies interested in improving staff wellness. Promoters urged Nigerians to embrace preventive healthcare, stressing that maintaining wellness is more cost-effective than treating chronic illnesses.

In his goodwill message, Commander-in-Chief of Medical, Innocent Enwuchola, represented by Ernest Onuchukwu, described the initiative as a bold and timely intervention in Nigeria’s wellness ecosystem. He said the launch of a digital platform dedicated to fitness, wellness and guided medical insights reflected an understanding that mod‑ ern health systems must embrace in‑ novation to remain effective.

He noted that within the Nigerian Army Medical Corps, health is viewed not merely as the absence of disease but as operational readiness, built on physical fitness, mental resilience, nutritional balance and adequate medical support. He described WelFAS as more than a business venture, calling it a public health intervention whose success should be measured by improved healthcare outcomes rather than download figures.

In his keynote address, Head of Corporate Sales and Partnerships at iFitness Center Limited, Der‑ rick Nwafor, representing founder and Chief Executive Officer Foluso Ogunwale, highlighted Nigeria’s demographic and healthcare realities.

Citing United Nations data, he said Nigeria’s population has exceeded 227 million, with a median age of 18, describing the country’s youthful demographic as both a strength and a responsibility. He also referenced figures from the World Health Organization (WHO) indicating that non-communicable diseases ac‑ count for about 29 per cent of deaths in Nigeria, many linked to lifestyle choices. Data from the National Bureau of Statistics, he added, show that only a small percentage of Nigerians have health insurance, leaving many households to shoulder medical expenses out of pocket.

Nwafor argued that prevention must become central to Nigeria’s healthcare strategy and said digital health innovation offers a pathway to expand access, reduce inequality and improve sustainability. Drawing parallels with advances in the financial services sector, he said Nigeria has demonstrated its capacity to leapfrog infrastructure gaps through innovation and can replicate that success in healthcare.

He stressed that innovation with‑ out accessibility would widen in‑ equality, while accessibility without sustainability would result in shortlived gains. According to him, Nige‑ria must integrate innovation, broad access and long-term sustainability to build a resilient health system.

The high point of the event was the unveiling of the celebrated ac‑ tress, Kate Henshaw was announced as the brand ambassador for WelFAS App.