The Federal Government has inaugurated a road map for digitising the country’s healthcare system with plans to implement electronic health records (EHRs) across the 1,691 health facilities in the country.
The initiative is expected to unlock billions in savings and create thousands of jobs by 2030.
Tunji Alausa, minister of state for Health and Social Welfare, stated this at a national stakeholder’s roundtable on Digital Health in Abuja.
Alausa, who was represented by Leke Ojewale,senior technical adviser on digital health to the minister, said Nigeria has the vision to transform its healthcare delivery through digitisation.
“The current state of Nigeria’s health system presents an opportunity for digital transformation, as the country stands to gain significant economic and public health benefits through digitisation.”
“We could achieve 10 to 15 percent efficiency gains in healthcare, which would translate to about 3.3 billion dollars in savings by 2030, additionally, digital health could also create 250,000 direct and indirect jobs across Africa in the same year, with Nigeria poised to play a leading role in this ecosystem.”
Marelize Gorgens, a senior expert from the World bank, stressed that digitalisation is crucial in overcoming the challenges that have plagued Nigeria’s healthcare system.
She noted that digital tools could improve emergency response efforts. “In the future, patients will be able to access their critical health information, such as blood type and emergency contacts in urgent situations. This will save lives and improve efficiency in healthcare.”
Pamela Ajayi, president of the Healthcare Federation of Nigeria, stressed the need for innovative solutions to address Nigeria’s health challenges such as the use of Artificial intelligence (AI) in diagnostics, which could bridge the healthcare gap for rural communities that lack adequate services.
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