The Lagos State Ministry of Health has partnered with Eclat, Interswitch’s healthcare subsidiary, to develop a digital medical records platform to enhance healthcare delivery efficiency across Lagos.

The Lagos State Health Information Platform (Lagos SHIP) is designed to consolidate patient clinical data from various healthcare levels and provide accessible information to relevant stakeholders for expert care management.

The goal is to facilitate flexible information exchange among clinicians, hospitals, diagnostics centres, pharmacies, insurance companies, and medical associations.

Akin Abayomi, Lagos Commissioner for Health, announced on Thursday at a stakeholders’ forum that the solution will be rolled out across public healthcare facilities in six months.

This will follow the establishment of a practical level of interconnectivity between these facilities in various locations.

Private facilities will eventually be able to access the platform after a two-year pilot phase in the public system.

Abayomi explained that the solution provides the opportunity to drive healthcare with real-time data, enabling patients to access improved quality services.

He also assured that the data would be protected under intense security.

“By embracing the platform, we can streamline healthcare operations, reduce administrative burdens, and make more informed decisions. These improvements translate into cost savings and better resource allocation, ultimately enhancing the quality of care and improving patient outcomes,” Abayomi said.

“We are living in a time of rapid transformation in healthcare, driven by advancements in technology and a shift towards more informed and involved patients.

“The Lagos SHIP initiative, a joint effort by the Lagos State Government and Interswitch Group, is designed to revolutionise healthcare services in the state by connecting patients to doctors, streamlining patient care through electronic medical records, and solving operational challenges.”

Before this, healthcare information management was fragmented due to a lack of seamless data sharing between facilities. Consequently, most patients’ records were confined to their initial treatment location.

This causes inefficiency, deprives the government of the database it needs to understand its citizens’ health-seeking patterns, and ultimately leads to discontinued care.

Wallace Ogufere, managing director of Eclat, asserts that technology can transform healthcare efficiency and effectiveness, despite myriads of challenges including access to essential care, clinical workforce exodus, rising costs, ravaging epidemics, and the burden of chronic disease.

To address these challenges, the firm has leveraged advanced technology such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, wearables, data analytics, and the Internet of medical things to refine healthcare delivery and experience.

“We will support the Lagos State government in unlocking the potential of electronic medical records, securely leveraging data from public and private hospitals and allied locations. This will facilitate improved experience for stakeholders across the board from healthcare administrators to medical professionals and patients. Moreover, it will enable data-informed decision making, driving better healthcare planning policy development and outcomes,” Wallace said.

The managing director further noted that digital health is not solely about technology but also about people. It empowers patients to take control of their health, enables healthcare professionals to deliver more effective care, and ultimately improves health outcomes for all.

“The Lagos SHIP solution is not an end in itself. We will keep improving the platform to suit our local nuances as they present themselves,” Wallace said.

Speaking on the transformative potential of the solution, Kemi Ogunyemi, special adviser to the Governor on Health, said the goal is to establish a unified health ecosystem where various stakeholders including healthcare providers and government agencies can seamlessly collaborate, share information and work towards health objectives.

With real-time data and advanced analytics provided by the platform to support informed decisions, optimize resource allocation and operational efficiency, she envisions reduced errors and patients’ safety.

“It is not just a technological advancement. It is a testament to our unwavering commitment to innovation and excellence in healthcare. It aims to enhance data management. The platform will enable us to manage health records, more efficiently, ensuring accuracy, accessibility, and security of patient’s information,” she said.

Olufemi Olapegba, managing director, Digital Health Platform, Interswitch, provided key insights into the technological backbone of the SHIP initiative. He explained that SHIP is fundamentally a health information exchange platform that seamlessly connects the demand and supply sides of healthcare.

“SHIP will comply with various regulations and standards, particularly adopting the FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) standard, which is the globally recognized best practice for exchanging health information,” Olapegba stated.

He added that SHIP will expose a variety of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to enable the secure and efficient sharing of health data across different touchpoints within the healthcare ecosystem.

It will offer key services, including the Patient Demography Service, which will uniquely identify every patient presenting at health facilities.

“This service allows for seamless tracking of patients as they move across different healthcare providers, ensuring continuity of care,” he explained. The platform will also empower patients to own and manage their personal health information.

Another critical feature of SHIP is the Summary Care Records API, which facilitates the exchange of clinical data, ensuring that vital details required for continuous care are easily accessible to healthcare providers.

Additionally, the platform will offer an e-prescription service, enabling patients to receive prescription services beyond the confines of the health facilities they visit. “For example, a patient could visit a hospital in Ikoyi and pick up their medication in Epe if it’s not available at the original location,” Olapegba noted.