Digital health revolution: FG prioritises tech-driven healthcare across Nigeria

The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, has declared that Nigeria’s health sector cannot function effectively without fully embracing digital health, describing it as “an emergency priority” for the nation’s reform agenda.

Speaking at the 44th Scientific Conference and Annual General Meeting of the Association of Health Records and Information Management Practitioners of Nigeria (AHRIMPN) in Abuja, Salako stressed that no health system can succeed without accurate, timely, and technology-driven data management.

He noted that health information was the “lifeblood” of an effective system, and Health Information Management (HIM) professionals were the custodians of that critical resource.

Salako highlighted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration had made digital innovation a central pillar of its health sector renewal plan with key priorities to include electronic health records, national data harmonization, digital capacity building, and a national health information exchange.

He added that the Ministry would continue to collaborate with AHRIMPN and the Health Records Officers Registration Board of Nigeria (HRORBN) to strengthen professional standards, improve welfare, and promote secure, ethical data practices across health facilities.

Outlining the next phase of the Nigeria Digital in Health Initiative, Salako announced that the government would work with HIM professionals on five focus areas which are digitising and integrating health records across all levels of care, standardising data systems to ensure quality and interoperability, building capacity in data analytics, AI, and health informatics, enhancing career progression and professional recognition for HIM practitioners as well as supporting research and innovation to strengthen national health statistics

He emphasized that the goal was to ensure every health worker from remote primary health centres to advanced tertiary hospitals, is equipped to use digital tools effectively.

Digital transformation, he said, is meant to “amplify” human expertise, not replace it.

Salako encouraged HIM professionals to embrace emerging technologies such as AI, blockchain, telemedicine, and the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), noting their growing impact on global healthcare.

He praised AHRIMPN for sustaining its annual scientific conference and praised HRORBN for its regulatory and professional development efforts.

The Minister reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to supporting the profession and ensuring that innovation and technology drive a more resilient healthcare future for Nigeria.