The Anambra State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to fully digitising the state’s healthcare system as part of ongoing reforms aimed at promoting transparency, eliminating corruption, and improving healthcare service delivery across the state.
The State Commissioner for Health, Dr Afam Obidike, disclosed this during a Stakeholder Engagement Workshop on the Health System Exemplar Analysis Project held in Awka, the Anambra State capital.
The workshop was organised by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in collaboration with the Anambra State Ministry of Health, the Gates Foundation, and Development Governance International Consult.
Addressing participants, Dr Obidike said the state government was determined to digitalise healthcare administration and service delivery to strengthen accountability, reduce leakages, and improve operational efficiency in health institutions.
According to him, the deployment of digital health systems would significantly improve data management, patient monitoring, healthcare planning, and evidence-based decision-making across the sector.
“The digitalisation of the health sector remains critical to achieving transparency and eliminating corruption within the system. It will not only improve patient care but also ensure effective monitoring and efficient healthcare delivery across the state,”the commissioner stated.
Dr Obidike further commended Governor Chukwuma Soludo for what he described as bold and transformative investments in the health sector, noting that the governor’s administration had repositioned healthcare delivery in Anambra State within a short period.
He said the Soludo administration had embarked on massive upgrades of general hospitals and primary healthcare centres, recruited qualified healthcare personnel, improved access to quality healthcare services, and invested heavily in digital health infrastructure to achieve universal health coverage.
According to the commissioner, Governor Soludo’s healthcare reforms have restored public confidence in government-owned health facilities and strengthened the state’s capacity to respond to emerging health challenges.
“Governor Soludo has demonstrated exceptional commitment to the health and wellbeing of Ndi Anambra through strategic investments, infrastructural development, workforce expansion, and innovative healthcare policies. His administration is laying a solid foundation for a modern and technology-driven healthcare system that will serve the people better,” Obidike added.
The commissioner further stated that the government would continue to prioritise investments in nutrition, maternal and child healthcare, disease prevention, and other critical interventions aimed at improving public health outcomes.
He explained that the workshop provided an opportunity for stakeholders to identify existing gaps within the healthcare system and develop practical, evidence-driven solutions capable of strengthening healthcare delivery in the state.
The engagement brought together policymakers, development partners, healthcare experts, and other stakeholders to deliberate on strategies for improving the health system and documenting reforms and interventions implemented in Anambra State between 2013 and 2023.
Discussions focused on introducing the Nigeria Health System Exemplar Analysis for Action Project to state-level stakeholders while outlining the study’s objectives, methodology, and implementation framework.
Improving Health System Performance
Speaking earlier, the State Lead of Development Governance International Consult, Uchenna Ezenwaka, said the project was designed to evaluate and document factors responsible for improved health system performance in Nigeria.
According to him, the study would assess reforms, policies, interventions, and implementation strategies that contributed to measurable progress in healthcare delivery over the years.
He stressed the importance of reliable data and institutional collaboration for the successful execution of the project and urged stakeholders to support the process by providing relevant records and documentation.
Participants also examined factors that contributed to improved health outcomes in Anambra State, including policy reforms, strategic partnerships, workforce development, and collaborative interventions that enhanced healthcare services.
The workshop further highlighted the commitment of both federal and state governments, alongside development partners, to promoting evidence-based healthcare policies and sustainable health sector reforms in Nigeria.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary of the Anambra State Ministry of Health expressed satisfaction on the State’s selection as one of Nigeria’s 12 exemplar States for the study, describing the recognition as evidence of the remarkable progress recorded in the health sector.
According to her, the achievement reflected strong political leadership, effective governance, improved healthcare workforce capacity, and sustained reforms implemented across the state’s health system.
