Cross River Strengthens Health Information Management Using Technology 

Medical facilities across 196 wards have received customised laptops designed to boost Health Information Management system in Cross River State, southern Nigeria.

The laptops, which were presented to the governor of Cross River State, Senator Bassey Otu in Calabar, the capital city, was made available under a World Bank health intervention programme known as IMPACT (Immunization Plus and Malaria Progress by Accelerating Coverage and Transforming Services) Project.

According to World Bank’s IMPACT Project Manager, Dr. Paul Odey, the intervention is aimed at reducing maternal mortality, malaria, neonatal and infant mortality as well as under-five mortality rates.

Odey also stated that the computers would enhance Health information management in Cross River State, which involves the collection, analysis, storage and protection of patients health information.

He said, “This is a World Bank project that started on the 17th of February 2021. However, before now, Cross River State was not part of the project. But, Governor Bassey Otu came and approved this thoughtful project to be brought to Cross River State.”

While emphasizeing the importance of Health Information Management to achieving universal access, he said, “We have 196 laptops here. These laptops will be distributed to the 196 facilities and wards.

“Most times, when a healthcare centre is affected by flooding or fire outbreak, everything including patients registers get destroyed. But, with this laptops, the entire system will be digitalized. All health records from OPD (Out Patient Department), antenatal care, immunization – all will be secured,” he said.

Speaking further, the Project Manager said, “The Director General of the Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Mesembe Otu and her team have established a quarterly monitoring and evaluation group to ensure that the laptops remain functional and that data is accurately captured.”

Upscaling Healthcare

Reacting to the gesture, Governor Otu acknowledged that the World Bank’s intervention project would impact positively on the Cross River State government health sector reforms, which would be scaled up this year.

Governor Otu noted that to boost health infrastructure reforms ₦5BN (Five billion naira) was provided for in the 2025 budget, reiterating, “Health has continued to be one of our major priority. You can bear me witness that since we came on board as a government most of the projects, which require counterparts funding have all been engaged.

“Also, we have plans to redesign our health insurance policy to where it is supposed to be. We are working very hard to come out with the best health insurance plan for our people,” the governor stressed.

He said, “Please, ensure that the laptops are used rather than abandoned as one of the furniture in those offices because the kind of health system we are trying to put in place would involve local government chairmen, ward councilors and everyone.

“We must ensure that he things that are invested in get right down to the people at the grassroots. So, I want to thank the World Bank for this intervention,” he insisted.

Present at the meeting were members of the Cross River Health cluster led by the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Henry Ayuk.