Lagos govt introduces health information platform for patients’ data mgt

The Lagos State Government has introduced the Smart Health Information Platform (SHIP) to transform data transmission and management across all state-owned healthcare facilities.

The digital cloud is designed in collaboration with eClat, a health technology company, and Interswitch Limited, to create a backbone for seamless movement of patients’ data and to enhance digital transformation in Lagos State’s healthcare.

Digital Health Platform Limited – a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), comprising Lagos Ministry of Health, Interswitch and eClat – has been appointed to jointly drive the operation of the technology.

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Tuesday, June 18, 2024, supervised the signing of the concession agreement between the Office of Public Private Partnership (PPP) and the Digital Health Platform Limited ahead of the full deployment of SHIP in the state’s health sector.

The agreement signing was also witnessed by the State’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro.

The digital system, according to the state government, will eliminate loose data sharing and transmission through manual systems, while providing improved protection and privacy for patients’ data.

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Sanwo-Olu described the innovation as “transformational step” in simplifying data collection and usage in the health sector, stressing that the Lagos State Government made a “bold move” in leveraging technology to enable efficient health delivery.

The innovation, the governor said, would enable the proper allocation of resources and empower decision-makers to analyse and evaluate the impact of interventions in the sector.

Sanwo-Olu assured the public of full protection of the database, saying there was nothing to worry about in maintaining privacy of the data collected through the platform.

He added that data privacy was critical in the process of designing the digital platform, noting that the Ministry of Science and Technology was fully involved in the project and signed off on it before launching.

On his part, the Group Managing Director of Interswitch, Mitchell Elegbe, said the solution would not only allow free flow of data from one health institution to another, it would also provide seamless payment options for patients.

He assured that the platform would not compromise data of patients and other information stored on it, saying: “This partnership is something we won’t take with levity.”

The Star