LagosSHIP: Charting a new course for healthcare efficiency and access

Lagos is one of Africa’s most populous cities, bustling with over 20 million residents. In such a vibrant, fast- paced environment with a growing population and rapidly increasing healthcare needs, the metropolitan city’s healthcare ecosystem faces constantly increasing pressure to keep up with demand.

While significant strides have been made by both public and private sector players, to improve infrastructure and service delivery in the healthcare sector, one critical challenge has always been ensuring the flow of accurate, real-time health information.

This challenge is characterised by paper-based record- keeping, fragmented data silos in unconnected repositories, redundant processes, and many more. These hurdles create inefficiencies that slow down access to care and limit the potential for seamless, high-quality healthcare delivery.

However, with the right investments in digital health and social care solutions, these challenges also present the opportunity for transformation, leading to a more streamlined and accessible healthcare system for all.

It is against this backdrop that Interswitch e’Clat, the health-tech subsidiary of the Interswitch Group, has partnered with the Lagos State Government to build the Lagos Smart Health Information Platform LagosSHIP, which is being implemented by a special-purpose vehicle, Digital Health Platforms (DHP) Limited.

At its core, the LagosSHIP is a digital health infrastructure that enables seamless, secure, and real-time sharing of health data among healthcare providers, patients, and the government in urban, rural, and remote areas. It is a centralised system that integrates multiple healthcare services, facilities, and stakeholders under one digital umbrella, allowing for efficient and informed decision-making in medical care delivery.

This initiative is aimed at creating a more connected healthcare system where hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, laboratories, and health authorities can collaborate effortlessly to provide high-quality care to patients.

This secure patient-privacy-first platform is also designed to empower all patients, allowing them to access their own health records in real-time and thus perform such activities as book medical appointments, access and share their medical records, consult physicians at home and abroad, obtain medications and treatment faster, and a lot more via one seamless digital platform that joins all health touchpoints across the state. LagosSHIP’s inclusive approach ensures benefits for everyone, including seemingly marginalised and disadvantaged groups.

Following the SHIP’s prelaunch in Lagos in September, DHP is currently deploying hardware to primary and secondary healthcare centres across the state. This includes equipping these centres with the necessary digital tools to capture and store requisite data as medical practitioners go about their daily operations in the health facilities. DHP is also providing training to healthcare staff to ensure they can effectively utilise the system being built, enhancing overall digital literacy across the workforce.

Similarly, most working systems worldwide have consolidated health data into a unified digital umbrella, giving their care providers quicker access to quality patients’ health records and smarter tools that make collaboration with fellow health practitioners seamless. This leads to more accurate diagnoses, effective treatment plans, enhanced operational efficiency, and more equitable utilisation of scarce resources.

Interswitch, through its health subsidiaries, is deeply committed to transforming Nigeria’s healthcare ecosystem through digitalisation, recognising the profound impact that technology can have on improving healthcare delivery.

Leveraging over 22 years of expertise in financial technology, the company is applying its innovative approach to transforming healthcare delivery buoyed by the vision to create a unified healthcare ecosystem where patient data is easily accessible, fostering coordinated care and improved health outcomes for everyone.

LagosSHIP exemplifies Interswitch eClat’s shared commitment to a digital-first healthcare system that empowers patients, healthcare providers, and institutions alike.

By supporting the government in providing infrastructure that addresses systemic inefficiencies and championing innovation, the company is driving digital transformation for improved healthcare delivery today and in the future, creating a more accessible, transparent, efficient, and data-driven healthcare ecosystem, and positioning LagosSHIP as a significant step towards a fully integrated and efficient healthcare system in Lagos State and championing another pioneering stride in the centre of excellence.