…to also unify PHCs, FMCs’ records by rolling out Nat’l Electronic Medical Record Platform
By Joseph Erunke, ABUJA
The government aslo hinted at its plan to unify all medical records of primary healthcare centres and federal medical centres in the country, through the introduction of what it called
National Electronic Medical Record Platform.
Speaking at a ministerial press briefing held on Saturday evening in Abuja, both the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate and the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Tunji Alaisan, explained that the measures had been adopted to give citizens the desired medical care.
To this end, they encouraged each state government to use the same platform once implemented.
“There will be a lot of things we will be doing in governance one of which is accountability. We will work collaboratively with all the stakeholders.
“We will digitalize our healthcare system. We will embark on the digitalization of our healthcare system because in this age,if you don’t have data, validated data, it’s just like still being in the dark. We need to make sure that the data we collect are accurate, they are validated,they can be trusted internally and locally. That will be used to deliver healthcare to our people.
“When we have validated data that we can trust,we can begin to see the indices where you are getting better,where you are doing well and where you are not doing well and then,you can direct your interventions to improving those outcomes.
“As we move into the future,we encourage each state government to use the same platform. Once we have a unified electronic record platform,it becomes easy to start the process of data where you see patients and you can now begin to share data.
“Somebody that went to LUTH today and let’s say one or two months later,presents himself at Federal Medical Centre ,Ebute Metta,they don’t need to repeat all the test they have done,those tests that were done two,three months ago are available,”the Minister of State for Health,Dr Tunji Alaisan, explained.
He spoke further on their plans for the nation’s healthcare system:”As we continue to build on the digitalization of our healthcare system,one of the things we are going to be doing differently is also the way we regulate our healthcare system.
” We have to hold our healthcare facilities more accountable,we have to hold our providers,physicians, nurses more accountable. The way our healthcare system is being regulated now is very fragmented,we have to consolidate and unify our regulatory system.”
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