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- inaugurates 20-man committee to drive the process
From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Federal Government, on Friday, inaugurated a 20-man committee that would drive the plan of the government to digitalize medical records/history of patients across all health care facilities, starting with the federal tertiary hospitals as pilot.
It said the committee which comprises a diverse group of individuals with extensive experience and pertinent skills in digital health, technology, healthcare administration, solidifies its dedication to Universal Health Coverage (UHC) for Nigerians.
Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, who inaugurated the committee in Abuja, said the Nigeria digital health initiative is an innovation that was designed to herald significant transformation in the management of data in the health care facilities.
Minister of State for Health, Dr. Tunji Alausa, who is the Chairman of the Committee, noted that Nigeria healthcare system suffer from data fragmentation as only a small number of private and federal health institutions use Electronic Medical Record (EMR)/ Electronic Health Record (EHR) platforms to keep track of patient’s data, promote research, provide treatment, manage operations and resources, while the majority still rely on rudimentary paper-based methods.
He said that despite the existence of the few EMR/EHR platforms, none was standardised to integrate, collect, and manage data across institutions nor built to succinctly share patient data in real time. “This has led to significant gaps in the healthcare system. We want to rebuild and reposition the digital health environment to include; data gathering, repository, servicing and regulation.
“An efficient EMR system would enable primary, secondary, and tertiary healthcare personnel to manage clinical and administrative data seamlessly across centres, and achieve an improved quality of care, more accurate diagnosis and personalized treatment plans.
“It will reduced unnecessary expenditure on health through reduction of tests due to avoided duplication; and increased staff capacity and productivity through the reduction of time spent on paper-based administrative tasks. All these would lead to better health outcomes for our citizens.”
The Minister emphasized that the implementation committee holds the key to realizing the collective vision for the health sector, stressing that their expertise, dedication, and collaborative sprit would be instrumental in navigating the complexities of implementing such a crucial system.
Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Daju Kachollom, in her welcome remarks, asked the committee members to provide governance, strategic leadership, oversight, technical expertise and national coordination for the digital health initiative.
She stressed the importance of working with all relevant stakeholders and existing digital health governance structures to ensure swift implementation of key policies and strategies impacting on health digitalization in Nigeria.
