FG intensifies digitisation of health facilities

The Federal Government has intensified efforts to digitise Nigeria’s health system, with plans to automate performance monitoring across health facilities and publish a nationwide list of digitised facilities. Speaking in Abuja at the FASTR Programme Review Meeting and launch of the Automated National Health Sector Scorecard, the Head of Monitoring and Evaluation at the Federal […]

The Federal Government has intensified efforts to digitise Nigeria’s health system, with plans to automate performance monitoring across health facilities and publish a nationwide list of digitised facilities.

Speaking in Abuja at the FASTR Programme Review Meeting and launch of the Automated National Health Sector Scorecard, the Head of Monitoring and Evaluation at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Dr Anthony Adoghe, said the initiative would strengthen accountability and ensure that health data is used to drive decisions and improve service delivery.

Adoghe said the ministry had automated the development of health sector scorecards, replacing a largely manual process that had been used to track performance indicators.

“We had support for the scorecards and they were being developed every month. We said this is a digital age. We can actually take this off you. The FASTR team members immediately went to work and automated the scorecard development.

“Immediately you pull up the data, the system can automate the scorecard and generate even up to facility level. That is what you will be seeing here today, and we are very proud of that piece of work,” he added.

He said the scorecards would enable health facilities, local governments, states and federal authorities to identify gaps in performance and respond more effectively.

Adoghe said all facilities under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) were expected to be digitalised by the end of the month, while several states had commenced the digitisation of public secondary health facilities.

He said the ministry would publish a list of digitised facilities across the country to promote transparency and encourage wider adoption.

Adoghe said the reforms formed part of efforts to build a data-driven health sector where information is routinely used to guide interventions.

Also speaking, the representative of the Global Financing Facility (GFF), Moussa Dieng, said Nigeria remained one of the organisation’s champion countries in promoting the use of data for health planning.

“We support the country to improve data and improve the use of the data to make public decisions.

“It’s a country-led process. We are not here to make a specific agenda. Everything that we are doing in the country is making sure that we are supporting,” he added.