The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has launched the 20-member Digital Health committee.
This committee marks a pivotal effort to address fragmentation within the healthcare sector, unlock transformative potentials and propel progress amidst notable advancements.
Delivering a keynote speech at the inauguration of Nigeria’s Digital Health Initiative (NHDI), Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Tunji Alausa underscored the transformative potential of Nigeria’s burgeoning health tech sector. He cited the emergence of 136 health tech startups. However, he raised concerns about inefficiencies and outdated paper-based methods prevalent in the current healthcare landscape, emphasising the urgent need for cohesion and quality data management.
Alausa highlighted the government’s commitment to reducing fragmentation and promoting standardised electronic medical record (EMR) solutions under a unified national EMR platform. This initiative aims to deploy programmes in federal tertiary hospitals across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones over the next five years, with primary healthcare centers geofenced for seamless bi-directional information flow.
To ensure sustainability, the minister outlined efforts focusing on data governance, repository, security, regulation and standardisation within the digital architecture. He emphasised private sector involvement to ensure long-term sustainability, with the government retaining data ownership for future innovation.
Addressing infrastructural challenges, the committee will prioritise the National Digital Framework on connectivity and deploy internet services nationwide, streamlining processes for more efficient healthcare delivery.
The Minister of Health and Social Welfare,Prof. Muhammad Pate lauded the formation of the committee as a critical step towards leveraging digital technologies for healthcare excellence. The NHDI, operationalised by the Implementation Committee for Nigeria Digital Health Initiative (IC-NDHI), supported by a secretariat team, aims to manage the deployment and pilot of the EMR platform and provide guidance for coordination and implementation of overarching activities.
Utilising existing national digital health policies and frameworks, including the National Health ICT Framework (2015-2020), National Health Information Framework, National Digital Health Policy and National Digital Health Strategy (2021 – 2025), the IC-NDHI aims to establish a national health digital environment to support the scale-up of digital health interventions towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Nigeria.
By strengthening the health system and aligning with global and local health practices, the NDHC seeks to usher in a new era of healthcare excellence, ensuring universal access to health and improving health outcomes for all Nigerians. Through collaborative efforts and strategic initiatives, Nigeria is poised to lead the digital health revolution, driving sustainable progress and prosperity for generations to come.
