The people most likely to need a healthcare website are, on average, older than the general population and more likely to have reduced vision, reduced dexterity, or both. Accessibility in this context is not an abstract obligation. It is the difference between a patient booking an appointment and giving up.
Most of the benefit comes from a handful of changes that require no specialist knowledge.
Contrast and text size
Light grey text on a white background is a persistent design fashion and it is close to unreadable for anyone with even mild visual impairment. Body text should be dark on light or light on dark, with real contrast between them.
Set body text at a comfortable size and do not disable pinch-zoom. Some sites still ship a viewport setting that prevents zooming, which removes the single most useful accessibility feature a phone has.
Tap targets
Buttons and links need to be large enough to hit reliably with a thumb, with space between them. A row of small links stacked closely together is difficult for anyone with a tremor and irritating for everyone else.
Describe your images
Every meaningful image needs alternative text describing what it shows. This serves screen reader users, and it also serves the much larger group whose images failed to load on a poor connection, who at least get a description rather than a blank space.
Decorative images should have empty alternative text so they are skipped rather than announced.
Label your form fields properly
A form field whose only label is placeholder text inside the box becomes unlabelled the moment someone starts typing, and screen readers handle it inconsistently. Use real labels above the field. This is a small change that makes forms usable for people who cannot see them and clearer for people who can.
Do not rely on colour alone
If a required field is marked only by turning red, a colour-blind visitor has no idea which field is wrong. Pair colour with text or an icon. The same applies to any status shown purely as a green or red dot.
Write in plain language
This is the accessibility measure with the broadest reach and it costs nothing. Short sentences, common words, clinical terms explained the first time they appear. A patient who does not understand your page cannot act on it, regardless of how well it is coded.
Check it quickly
Two tests take five minutes each. Navigate your booking form using only the keyboard, tabbing between fields, and confirm you can see where you are and complete it. Then zoom the page to twice its size and confirm nothing overlaps or disappears.
If both work, you are ahead of most healthcare sites in Nigeria, and the patients who benefit most are exactly the ones you see most often.