Lagos plans full digitalisation of public healthcare within nine months

The Lagos State Government says it plans to fully digitalise the state’s public healthcare system within the next six to nine months in a move aimed at improving healthcare delivery and strengthening medical data management.

The state’s Commissioner for Health, Akin Abayomi, disclosed the plan during the launch of the Data Science and Medical Image Analysis Training for Improved Healthcare Delivery in Nigeria (DATICAN) and a High Performance Computing facility at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital.

Abayomi said the digital transformation is being implemented through the Smart Health Information Platform (SHIP), an initiative designed to digitise services across public healthcare facilities in the state.

Digital health system underway

According to the commissioner, the digitalisation project will cover general hospitals, teaching hospitals, and more than 300 primary healthcare centres across Lagos.

He noted that the government had already made significant progress on the project, which has been under development for about 18 months.

Abayomi explained that the system aims to modernise how health data is stored, accessed and managed across the state’s healthcare infrastructure.

He also stressed the importance of data governance, noting that while digital systems can drive innovation and improve service delivery, protecting citizens’ health information remains critical.

Data science initiative to support healthcare research

Speaking at the event, Benjamin Aribisala said the DATICAN initiative was created to address gaps in data-driven medical research in Nigeria.

He explained that the programme seeks to train professionals in data science and medical image analysis while promoting collaboration between medical experts and computer scientists.

Aribisala noted that many African countries still lag behind developed economies in the adoption of data science technologies, largely due to a shortage of skilled professionals and limited research infrastructure.

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To address this challenge, the initiative will also work toward building a national repository of medical images to support research and innovation.

Initiative linked to broader reforms

Also speaking at the event, Tunji Alausa described the initiative as a major step toward strengthening Nigeria’s research ecosystem and advancing digital innovation in healthcare.

He said the new medical image repository would provide thousands of curated images to support research and help develop artificial intelligence diagnostic tools tailored to Nigerian and African populations.

Beyond digitalisation, Lagos authorities are also pursuing wider healthcare reforms. Mudashiru Obasa recently announced plans to establish a new regulatory agency to monitor private healthcare facilities in the state.

The proposed body is expected to complement the work of the Health Facilities Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA), which currently oversees public and private health centres but faces capacity challenges due to the growing number of private providers in Lagos.

Abayomi also noted that Lagos could generate over ₦400 billion annually for healthcare if at least 20 million residents enroll in the state’s health insurance programme, Lagos State Health Scheme (Ìlera Èkó).