Why We Focus On Nigeria’s Persistent Health Challenge – Nwogha

The chief executive officer of Wellinovate Ltd, Chibuike Joshua Nwogha, has reaffirmed his commitment to providing affordable and accessible healthcare for all Nigerians.

Nwogha spoke at a media event in Abuja, yesterday.

He said the initiative was borne out of the need to address a persistent challenge within Nigeria’s healthcare system, the fragmentation of patient health information across hospitals, clinics, diagnostic laboratories, pharmacies and other healthcare providers.

“This fragmentation often makes it difficult for patients and healthcare professionals to access complete and relevant medical histories when they are needed,” Nwogha said.

He said WelliRecord addresses the delays patients face while trying to retrieve their health records, even in emergency situations, by providing a secure, centralised, patient-controlled digital health record that supports continuity of care across participating facilities.

He decried a situation where patients’ conditions deteriorate or lives are lost simply because their personal health history cannot be immediately retrieved.

“Some patients have died because, until the health record of the patient is seen, the doctor may not be able to administer medication. That should not happen,” he said.

Nwogha noted “every patient deserves access to their health information, regardless of where they receive healthcare.”

Also speaking, Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Chidiebere Nwokeocha, explained that individuals can maintain and manage important health information, including medical history, laboratory results, prescriptions, allergies, health identifiers and other relevant records.

On his part, Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Chile Uchechukwu Ogugua clarified that their idea is not designed to replace existing hospital management systems, electronic medical records or laboratory information systems.

“Rather, it aims to complement these systems by supporting interoperability and patient-controlled access to health information across healthcare providers,” he said.