Expert Calls for Faster Adoption of Digital Health Technologies in Nigeria

By Ojoma Akor

A health informatics expert, Bright Ibezim, has called for accelerated adoption of digital health technologies and stronger data-sharing infrastructure in Nigeria, warning that fragmented systems and weak interoperability could undermine efforts to improve healthcare delivery.

 Ibezim, who is also the Lead, Health Informatics, Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN), said the effective use of health information systems was critical to evidence-based decision-making, improved patient care and efficient management of health facilities.

Speaking in an interview with Health and Science Africa, Ibezim said reliable health data could help healthcare professionals make better-informed decisions by providing access to patients’ medical histories, laboratory results and diagnostic imaging records.

He identified Electronic Medical Records (EMRs), Laboratory Information Systems and Radiology/Imaging Information Systems as key tools that could strengthen clinical decision-making and support the development of appropriate treatment plans.

According to him, digital health systems also offer significant operational benefits by making patient records easier to retrieve, improving resource planning and reducing waste in healthcare facilities.

“For example, it is easier for doctors to locate a patient’s records in an EMR than through traditional filing systems. Hospital administrators can also make more accurate estimates of commodity and human-resource requirements using consumption data captured in HIS, thereby reducing operating costs and minimizing waste,” he said.

Ibezim added that health information systems are essential for government agencies, donor organizations, and public health stakeholders seeking to monitor disease trends, detect outbreaks early, and develop evidence-based interventions.

“The world is becoming increasingly data-driven. In business, for example, if you don’t have data, you won’t succeed. The same applies to education, politics, warfare and almost every other sector. Data is the bedrock of decision-making,” he said.

He stressed that reliable health data should be accessible to healthcare workers, government agencies, public health officials and program managers responsible for planning and delivering health services.

Private hospitals lead digital adoption

Ibezim said Nigeria was making progress in adopting digital health solutions across public and private healthcare facilities, although digital maturity varied between institutions.

He observed that private hospitals were generally ahead in deploying digital technologies, partly because of the economic incentives to improve efficiency, streamline operations, and enhance patient services.

“In a private hospital, for example, you will find electronic medical record systems. They can even send your lab results via WhatsApp, maintain patients’ medical histories, and enable doctors to access patient information and consult in real time,” he said.

However, he noted that public hospitals were also making progress in adopting digital technologies.

He explained that digital health extended beyond electronic medical records to include systems for disease surveillance, health data reporting, national data storage, commodity management, logistics, sample tracking and laboratory results management.

Among the systems he cited were the Surveillance Outbreak Response Management and Analysis System (SORMAS), National Data Reporting System (NDARS), National Data Repository (NDR) and District Health Information System (DHIS).

These platforms support different aspects of healthcare delivery, disease surveillance and health program management, highlighting the growing role of digital technologies in Nigeria’s health system.

Fragmented systems undermine data exchange

Despite the progress, Ibezim identified fragmentation and poor interoperability as major barriers to using digital health technologies effectively in Nigeria.

He said many healthcare institutions and public health programs were deploying digital solutions that operated independently, limiting their ability to exchange information seamlessly.

“As adoption increases, there is a need to address fragmentation and interoperability. People are deploying different kinds of digital health solutions, but these systems often do not communicate with one another,” he said.

The expert also said governance and regulatory frameworks were not advancing at the same pace as technological development.

He acknowledged government efforts to address the challenge, including the Nigeria Digital Health Architecture (NDHA), which is designed to provide a framework for connecting digital health solutions and facilitating data exchange.

However, he called for faster progress on legislation and other measures needed to strengthen digital health governance, including relevant bills before the National Assembly.

According to Ibezim, Nigeria must address two broad challenges: fragmented health information systems and inadequate interoperability, alongside gaps in governance, regulation and enforcement.

He said tackling these issues would help ensure that digital health investments deliver measurable improvements in healthcare planning, service delivery and patient outcomes.

Nigeria needs interoperable digital infrastructure

Beyond deploying individual digital health solutions, Ibezim said Nigeria needs to develop the underlying digital public infrastructure that enables different systems to communicate and exchange information securely and efficiently.

“There is no doubt that Nigeria is making progress with digital health solutions, but when it comes to digital public infrastructure, we are not there yet,” he said.

He explained that while individual hospitals and health programs might have digital platforms, the country still needed stronger shared infrastructure to connect these systems and support seamless data exchange.

To illustrate the gap, he compared the health sector with Nigeria’s financial system, where the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) supports interoperability among financial institutions and facilitates transactions across banks.

“For instance, NIBSS allows banks to exchange data with one another. That is why you can withdraw money from another bank through your own bank’s infrastructure. The health sector does not yet have an equivalent system,” he said.

He argued that developing comparable interoperable infrastructure for healthcare would let authorized users access relevant information across connected systems, subject to appropriate privacy, security and access controls.

Such infrastructure, he added, would improve the availability of reliable health data, reduce duplication, strengthen coordination among healthcare providers and support better decisions by policymakers and public health officials.

Ibezim said accelerating digital health adoption must therefore go hand in hand with investment in shared infrastructure, stronger governance and interoperability standards to ensure that Nigeria’s growing range of digital health solutions functions as a connected ecosystem rather than a collection of isolated platforms.