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Imagine this: It’s 2030, and a woman enters a hospital in Abuja for a medical examination. She isn’t carrying any documents or folders. At the front desk, she shares her health identification. Immediately, the physician has access to her complete medical record, previous laboratory findings, medications, allergies, and even alerts about her most recent blood pressure check from a pharmacy visit. A system that once depended on paper has transitioned to digital, and the impact goes beyond just ease of use—it’s a matter of life and death.

This is the future that Nigeria needs to get ready for, as paper-based records will not suffice. They have been useful in the past but are no longer suitable for the needs of a population exceeding 200 million. With our health issues becoming increasingly complicated, our systems need to progress. Moving from paper to digital health records is not merely an aspiration; it is the next step forward in Nigerian healthcare.

In this future, individuals will have ownership of their medical records. Regardless of whether they reside in Lagos or Lokoja, their health data will be securely transferred and available on their mobile devices or via a protected online platform. No parent will need to worry about misplacing a vaccination record. No person involved in an accident will receive treatment without medical professionals being aware of their allergies. A young person seeking to study overseas will not face difficulties in proving their immunization status, as their records will be instantly confirmable.

Digital records will also revolutionize prevention. Nigerians will get notifications on their phones for medical appointments, screenings, and immunizations, similar to how they currently receive banking alerts. Conditions such as hypertension and diabetes will be identified sooner, as regular health assessments will be kept and reviewed rather than misplaced in old files. Households will have the ability to monitor their medical history over time, not just record individual visits.

For medical professionals and healthcare institutions, digital health records lead to more secure choices. No more uncertainty due to missing files. No more conducting repeated tests because results are unavailable. In urgent situations, every second counts. Immediate access to precise information can be life-saving. For the government, it offers up-to-the-minute data to inform financial planning, monitor disease spread, and allocate resources where they are needed most.

The financial advantages are significant. Each repeated test represents a waste of money. Delayed diagnosis leads to increased hospital costs. By adopting digital systems, Nigeria can save billions while improving healthcare efficiency. Similar to how mobile banking transformed phones into financial instruments, digital health will enable phones to become life-saving devices.

This shift will also create new possibilities for Nigeria’s young creators. Developing health applications, secure data systems, analytical tools, and user-friendly platforms can emerge as a promising area for the technology industry. Health technology has the potential to become Nigeria’s next big fintech success.

My generation has witnessed how swiftly Nigerians adopt systems that are beneficial. We have embraced ATMs, BVN, and mobile transfers. Healthcare can also make a similar advancement.

The trip will come with its difficulties. Availability of power, internet access, and financial aspects are genuine problems. However, we have managed to deal with comparable obstacles in the past. Mobile banking has taken root even in villages that don’t have consistent electricity. Telecommunications coverage has reached the most isolated areas. Healthcare can do the same if there is a strong determination.

The duty is collective. The government needs to establish guidelines and ensure the protection of patient data. Hospitals and labs should allocate resources towards digital infrastructure. Entrepreneurs must develop technologies that cater to Nigerians, whether through smartphones or basic devices. Additionally, individuals should advocate for these changes, understanding that their health data holds equal importance to their financial details.

The Nigeria of 2030 doesn’t need to resemble the Nigeria we know now. We have the opportunity to break free from the cycle of lost records and move towards a future where health data is precise, protected, and easily accessible. Transitioning from paper-based systems to digital ones is not a fantasy. It’s a decision. The earlier we take this step, the more lives we can protect.

This paper is a part of an ongoing series examining how information technology can bridge Nigeria’s healthcare divide.

Olayinka Ayeni, an IT advisor and head of Digital Health Systems Ltd, communicates through ola.ayeni@mylabscope.com

Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).