Ben Ezechime, Enugu
The Enugu State Government has called on public and private hospitals to adopt the digitalisation of patients’ medical records to enhance service delivery and reduce treatment delays.
The call was made by the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Emmanuel Obi, during a Stakeholders’ Meeting on Ecosystem-Wide Sensitisation for the Adoption of a Secured Health Information Exchange (HIE) in Enugu.
The event was powered by Uburu AI, a digital health platform leveraging data and technology to transform healthcare.
Obi said the adoption of Uburu AI would enable seamless, secure transfer of patients’ records between referring and receiving health facilities, improving continuity of care and speeding up treatment.
He explained that the platform allowed for interoperability between health institutions using a military-grade information exchange system.
The commissioner added that the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) had tested the system and confirmed its security, speed, and reliability.
He noted that under the National Health Act and the Enugu State Health Sector Reform Law, health facilities were legally required to share patients’ records with proof of consent.
“Rather than begin enforcement with legal action, we chose to engage stakeholders first, to avoid unnecessary conflicts that could jeopardise patient care.
“This meeting clarifies the legal framework, the benefits of compliance, and how facilities can improve care, efficiency, and alignment with regulatory standards,” Obi said.
Also speaking, Dr Chinwe Anibeze, Permanent Secretary at the State Ministry of Health, decried the fragmentation of patient information across healthcare levels.
She noted that such disjointed systems compromised the quality of care.
According to her, the lack of integrated data contributes to treatment delays, diagnostic errors, and repeated testing, all of which increase healthcare costs and put patients’ lives at risk.
UNTH’s Chief Medical Director, Prof. Obinna Onodugo, explained that the hospital adopted Uburu AI to eliminate risks tied to fragmented records and repeated diagnostics.
“Our clinicians now access detailed, longitudinal patient histories, no matter where the patient started their journey,” he said.
Prof. Emeritus Ifeoma Okoye, Director at the University of Nigeria Centre of Excellence for Clinical Trials (UNNCECT), stressed that reliable data was essential for targeted health responses and policy effectiveness.
“Countries that will lead the next era of global health are those that treat data as vital infrastructure,” she added.
The State Attorney General, Mr Kingsley Udeh, represented by Director of Civil Litigation, Mrs Uzamka Okeji, emphasised the importance of confidentiality, stating that patient data could only be disclosed through consent or a court order.
Earlier, Uburu AI representative, Mr Joel Aniegbe, said the platform was designed to ensure medical records could be transferred swiftly and securely between facilities within and beyond Enugu State.
He said the innovation ensured no medical history was lost, fostering better outcomes through connected care.
