Interswitch Limited, a technology-driven company focused on the digitisation of payments in Nigeria and other countries in Africa, has announced that eClat Healthcare Limited, an Interswitch Group company, has partnered with Edo State in its mission to improve healthcare delivery through technology and innovation.
This announcement follows the recent launch of the state’s compulsory healthcare insurance scheme, under the direction of Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki, recently. This is following the launch of the first phase of disbursement of the BHCPF (Basic Healthcare Provision Fund) to states through the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). The scheme is geared towards delivering affordable and accessible healthcare services to residents state-wide.
The initiative is managed under the Edo State Health Improvement Programme (Edo-HIP) setup to undertake the national government-led drive for Universal Health Coverage (UHC). Edo-HIP is a series of government-led interventions aimed at increasing access to efficient, effective and sustainable quality healthcare services with the central focus of improving the health status and well-being of citizens of Edo State.
As technology continues to transform different sectors including the health sector, industry watchers say that eClat Healthcare which provides a turn-key solution for healthcare delivery and helps to transform the quality of healthcare by providing modern, essential resource tools to care providers, increasing their efficiency, saving costs, empowering stakeholders and leading to improved patient outcome is the type of solution Nigeria needs to position itself as top choice for healthcare in Africa, and attract hundreds of billions of naira in medical tourism.
eClat specializes in assisting healthcare service providers in planning, designing and operating their unique practices through the deployment of its bespoke healthcare technology platform, designed specifically for the healthcare environment in Africa.
According to Interswitch, eClat is transforming the quality of healthcare by providing modern, essential resource tools to care providers and increasing their efficiency and saving costs.
“eClat will utilise its flagship primary healthcare health management system, ‘eClinic’, to significantly enhance healthcare delivery for Edo State,” the company stated.
Other key initiatives under the partnership include: Healthcare facility renovation, process optimization/transformation, training & capacity building and health insurance. Already, eClat has been allocated a number of primary healthcare centres across the state to refurbish and manage. eClat will assist with the migration of existing medical records/data from paper form into electronic form (using eClat’s eClinic software); as well as upskill medical staff to enable them effectively to deploy and manage the new solutions. eClat has also been mandated to drive enrolment and active participation of citizens in the health insurance programme.
Mitchell Elegbe, founder and chief executive of Interswitch, said: “Following our recent acquisition of eClat Healthcare, we’re delighted to partner with Edo State to provide better healthcare services through its bespoke healthcare technology platform. Interswitch’s ambition is to use our innovative technology to modernise and improve efficiency in economic sectors such as healthcare, which are crucial for Africa’s social and economic development, as well as serve as catalyst in the activation of Nigeria HealthTech Industry over the next few decades.”
Also commenting , Crusoe Osagie, the special assistant on media and communication strategy, to the Edo State Governor said; “The State Government has recorded a number of achievements in the health sector, which includes rehabilitation of primary healthcare centres in the 18 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state; enactment of the compulsory Health Insurance Law to reduce out-of-pocket expenses on healthcare and the repair and opening of the Edo Specialist Hospital.”
Eclat’s flagship product, eClinic is used in more than 250 primary care centres across six states in Nigeria. It is also used in several private hospitals in Nigeria including Eko Hospital, First Cardiology Consultants and Solid Rock Hospital.
