N300m MOU: Ekiti begins digitisation of health services with Helium Health, Sterling Bank
By Mike Adebayo, Ado-Ekiti
In a bid to boost access to improved medical healthcare services delivery, the Ekiti State government has signed a N300m Memorandum of Understanding with Helium Health and Sterling Bank Plc, for the digitisation of patients’ data in Ekiti hospitals.
By this development, records and information of patients will be documented electronically as against the old manual system.
This development is part of measures by government to improve access to qualitative health care services by members of the public in line with modern day practices.
Talking with journalists in Ado-Ekiti, during the signing of the MOU with private partners on the initiative, Governor Kayode Fayemi explained that the electronic system would address loss of files and the delay often witnessed by patient in the process of searching cabinets for their records, saying physicians can easily access the data of every patient on their system.
Represented by the commissioner for Health, Dr. Oyebanji Filani, Governor Fayrmi explained that digitisation would speed up the process of treatment and ensure that patients have access to doctors without necessarily visiting hospitals.
Fayemi noted that the involvement of the private sector including Sterling Bank was to cushion the load of the resources required on government due to the current economic realities.
Speaking at the official signing of the MoU in Ado-Ekiti, the Head Regional Growth (Public Sector), Helium Health, Mr. Abiola Osunniyi, revealed that the organisation will commit a sum of N300 million to provide digital technology for some facilities in the state.
Osunniyi, who addded that the focus would be principally on secondary health facilities as pilots, said four general hospitals will be used to kickstart the project that will be co-financed by the three partners.
Osunniyi said: “The MoU is to provide critical health infrastructure for digitisation of the four hospitals in Ekiti that will be used as pilots before expanding. The essence is to digitise the patients’ data, so that our doctors can access them easily for improved and quick healthcare delivery.
“One of the core mandates of the Dr. Kayode Fayemi’s government is delivery of quality healthcare to the citizens, so as a private organisation, we want to support the government through provision of technology in our hospitals.
“We have done this partnership with Akwa Ibom and Lagos States’ governments, which revolves primarily around technology to bridge the gap that exist in patients’ data, there is usually a gap. The old days when patients’ data are contained on papers were over.
“In most cases, patients’ records got lost, but with provision of these digital infrastructure, their data can be protected. When data got lost, the doctors may ask the patients to repeat treatments or operations or tests that might be deleterious to the patients, because of delay.
“Our plan is to introduce electronic Medical system, so at the mention of your name as a patient, your records will be displayed. Accurate healthcare data and storage can affect positively healthcare administration.
“We are leveraging the private sector to raise funds for the state. We are in partnership with banking and telecommunication sectors to help the.publuc sector. We are investing a sum of N300m to drive the project.”
The Group Head of Health, Sterling Bank Plc, Mrs Ibironke Akinmade, disclosed that the kernel of the partnership is to ensure easy access to medical records and reduce leakages in the system.
“The Sterling bank six months ago set up some funds to help in digitising some of our health facilities as part of our focus to improve health, education, energy and agriculture sectors, which are our focal areas in the development of our country,” she said.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Oyebanji Filani, said the project will.remove redundancy in hospitals and inject modernity into the healthcare system in the state.
Filani described technology as a critical weapon that can strengthen the health sector through accurate collection, processing and storage of healthcare records that will improve quality of healthcare services by providers.
“Digitisation process in health system all over the world helps to reduce wastages and redundancy as well as inject transparency and accountability into our medical facilities.
“I know with this technological innovation, there will be a tremendous improvement in the keeping of healthcare records and quick delivery of healthcare services in our facilities,” Filani stated.
