The National Communications Commission on Thursday inaugurated an e-health project, it donated to the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital, Akure, Ondo State .
According to the commission, the e-health project contained the equipment that involved the use of Information and Communication Technology to enhance healthcare delivery system in the hospital.
Speaking at the inauguration of the project on the premises of the hospital, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, Dr Aminu Maida, said the gesture was to attest to the commission’s collective efforts to harness the power of Information and Communication Technology, to improve and revolutionise the health sector in Nigeria in a manner that better served the citizens.
Represented by the Director of Projects Department of the NCC, Mr Phillip Eretan, the NCC’s Executive Vice Chairman said the equipment would enable healthcare professionals in the hospital, to deliver timely and accurate diagnoses, treatment plans, and follow-up care.
He said, “The completion of this e-health project is a testament to the Nigerian Communications Commission’s commitment to driving innovation, research, and growth in our nation’s digital economy.
“This is two-pronged, first, ICT can better integrate the health sector into the digital economy to enjoy the ubiquity that other sectors of the economy already benefit from. Secondly, healthy citizens contribute better to the digital economy even as they access care from e-health platforms.
“We thus enhance the quality of medical services and ensure that services are accessible to all, regardless of geographical location, by integrating advanced ICT solutions into healthcare.
“We are hopeful that with its successful take-off, this project will further promote the Commission’s drive to speed up the adoption of ICT in the health sector.
“The implementation of e-health solutions will streamline medical processes, enhance patient care, and facilitate the efficient management of health records.
“With the State Specialist Hospital (the UNIMEDTH) in Akure now equipped with innovative technology that enables healthcare professionals to deliver timely and accurate diagnoses, treatment plans, and follow-up care, we expect that these will improve patient satisfaction and positive health outcomes. This is because the benefits of this project go beyond the hospital walls to the larger community and set a precedent for other healthcare institutions nationwide.”
Maida commended the stakeholders who contributed to the realisation of the project, noting that the collaboration had created a model that could be replicated and scaled to other regions, “ensuring that the advantages of ICT in healthcare are felt nationwide.”
In his remarks, the Acting Chief Medical Director of the UNIMEDTH, Dr Adesina Akintan, who was represented by the Head of Training and Research, Dr Ndidi Okunnuga, urged the NCC to assist the institution in the area of training and maintenance of the equipment
“We want to appeal to you to come back to monitor and check the effectiveness of the equipment. We have more collaborations in the future” the acting CMD urged .
