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Lagos, Interswitch Partner to Build Digital Medical Records Platform

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The Lagos State Ministry of Health has partnered with Eclat, Interswitch’s healthcare subsidiary, to develop a digital medical records platform to enhance healthcare delivery efficiency across Lagos.

The Lagos State Health Information Platform (Lagos SHIP) is designed to consolidate patient clinical data from various healthcare levels and provide accessible information to relevant stakeholders for expert care management.

The goal is to facilitate flexible information exchange among clinicians, hospitals, diagnostics centres, pharmacies, insurance companies, and medical associations.

Akin Abayomi, Lagos Commissioner for Health, announced on Thursday at a stakeholders’ forum that the solution will be rolled out across public healthcare facilities in six months.

This will follow the establishment of a practical level of interconnectivity between these facilities in various locations.

Private facilities will eventually be able to access the platform after a two-year pilot phase in the public system.

Abayomi explained that the solution provides the opportunity to drive healthcare with real-time data, enabling patients to access improved quality services.

He also assured that the data would be protected under intense security.

“By embracing the platform, we can streamline healthcare operations, reduce administrative burdens, and make more informed decisions. These improvements translate into cost savings and better resource allocation, ultimately enhancing the quality of care and improving patient outcomes,” Abayomi said.

“We are living in a time of rapid transformation in healthcare, driven by advancements in technology and a shift towards more informed and involved patients.

“The Lagos SHIP initiative, a joint effort by the Lagos State Government and Interswitch Group, is designed to revolutionise healthcare services in the state by connecting patients to doctors, streamlining patient care through electronic medical records, and solving operational challenges.”

Before this, healthcare information management was fragmented due to a lack of seamless data sharing between facilities. Consequently, most patients’ records were confined to their initial treatment location.

This causes inefficiency, deprives the government of the database it needs to understand its citizens’ health-seeking patterns, and ultimately leads to discontinued care.

Wallace Ogufere, managing director of Eclat, asserts that technology can transform healthcare efficiency and effectiveness, despite myriads of challenges including access to essential care, clinical workforce exodus, rising costs, ravaging epidemics, and the burden of chronic disease.

To address these challenges, the firm has leveraged advanced technology such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, wearables, data analytics, and the Internet of medical things to refine healthcare delivery and experience.

“We will support the Lagos State government in unlocking the potential of electronic medical records, securely leveraging data from public and private hospitals and allied locations. This will facilitate improved experience for stakeholders across the board from healthcare administrators to medical professionals and patients. Moreover, it will enable data-informed decision making, driving better healthcare planning policy development and outcomes,” Wallace said.

The managing director further noted that digital health is not solely about technology but also about people. It empowers patients to take control of their health, enables healthcare professionals to deliver more effective care, and ultimately improves health outcomes for all.

“The Lagos SHIP solution is not an end in itself. We will keep improving the platform to suit our local nuances as they present themselves,” Wallace said.

Speaking on the transformative potential of the solution, Kemi Ogunyemi, special adviser to the Governor on Health, said the goal is to establish a unified health ecosystem where various stakeholders including healthcare providers and government agencies can seamlessly collaborate, share information and work towards health objectives.

With real-time data and advanced analytics provided by the platform to support informed decisions, optimize resource allocation and operational efficiency, she envisions reduced errors and patients’ safety.

“It is not just a technological advancement. It is a testament to our unwavering commitment to innovation and excellence in healthcare. It aims to enhance data management. The platform will enable us to manage health records, more efficiently, ensuring accuracy, accessibility, and security of patient’s information,” she said.

Olufemi Olapegba, managing director, Digital Health Platform, Interswitch, provided key insights into the technological backbone of the SHIP initiative. He explained that SHIP is fundamentally a health information exchange platform that seamlessly connects the demand and supply sides of healthcare.

“SHIP will comply with various regulations and standards, particularly adopting the FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) standard, which is the globally recognized best practice for exchanging health information,” Olapegba stated.

He added that SHIP will expose a variety of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to enable the secure and efficient sharing of health data across different touchpoints within the healthcare ecosystem.

It will offer key services, including the Patient Demography Service, which will uniquely identify every patient presenting at health facilities.

“This service allows for seamless tracking of patients as they move across different healthcare providers, ensuring continuity of care,” he explained. The platform will also empower patients to own and manage their personal health information.

Another critical feature of SHIP is the Summary Care Records API, which facilitates the exchange of clinical data, ensuring that vital details required for continuous care are easily accessible to healthcare providers.

Additionally, the platform will offer an e-prescription service, enabling patients to receive prescription services beyond the confines of the health facilities they visit. “For example, a patient could visit a hospital in Ikoyi and pick up their medication in Epe if it’s not available at the original location,” Olapegba noted.


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PalmPay, Jumia Reward Users in Festive Campaign

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This holiday season just got a whole lot more exciting! PalmPay, one of Africa’s leading fintech platforms, operates Nigeria’s most used mobile wallet and has teamed up with Jumia, the continent’s e-commerce giant, to launch a festive campaign that’s all about convenience, rewards, and enhancing your shopping experience.

Running from December 11th to 28th, 2024, this holiday campaign is set to reward shoppers who use the new “Pay with PalmPay” feature on Jumia with cash prizes. Every purchase made using the direct payment method automatically enters participants into a draw, giving them a chance to win exciting cash rewards while enjoying the seamless shopping and payment process.

A Strategic Partnership To Enhance Digital Payments

The integration of the “Pay with PalmPay Wallet” feature on Jumia marks a major milestone in the partnership between the two industry leaders.

Speaking at the media announcement, Mr. Chika Nwosu, Managing Director of PalmPay, highlighted the broader mission driving this collaboration: “We are thrilled to join forces with Jumia to redefine convenience for shoppers. At PalmPay, our mission has always been to drive economic empowerment through accessible and user-friendly financial services. This partnership is a natural step forward in achieving that goal.”

Beyond the holidays, this partnership with Jumia m,k is a signal of bigger things to come. Mr. Chika added: “This is more than just about payments—it’s about creating value for our customers. We are excited about the opportunities this partnership will unlock in 2025, including campaigns and innovative initiatives that will further transform the online shopping landscape.”

Sunil Natraj, CEO of Jumia Nigeria, highlighted the shared vision between both companies, stating: “At Jumia, we are dedicated to creating value for our customers by ensuring a convenient, reliable, and secure shopping experience. This partnership with PalmPay strengthens our commitment to enhancing the digital payments within our platform. By integrating PalmPay, we are providing more options for customers to access affordable and quality goods with the convenience of cashless transactions.”

How to Join the Holiday Fun

Participating in the campaign is simple. When shopping on Jumia, select the “Pay with PalmPay” option at checkout, and your entry into the draw is automatic. It’s that easy!

Bonus Entry: Share a screenshot of your purchase on X (formerly Twitter) using the hashtag #PalmPayXJumia to increase your chances of winning. Additional winners will be selected from participants engaging with the campaign on Twitter.

Whether you are shopping for gifts, or gadgets this festive season, PalmPay and Jumia are making sure your experience is not only seamless but also rewarding.

To learn more about the campaign, stay tuned to the official  X accounts (formerly Twitter) of @palmpay_ng and @JumiaNigeria. for updates, announcements, and more chances to win.


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Corruption: ICPC Threatens Sanctions as 330 MDAs Fail Financial, Governance Tests

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Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC), has revealed that none of the Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), in the country complied fully with ethical standards, policies, and anti-corruption measures in the passing year.

Corruption: ICPC Threatens Sanctions as 330 MDAs Fail Financial, Governance Tests

This was following the findings from the Commission’s Ethics and Integrity Compliance Scorecard (EICS) for the MDAs.

The Commission warned that henceforth, non-compliant MDAs will face necessary actions, including enforcement, to ensure adherence to government directives.

According to the EICS scorecard released on Thursday in Abuja by Demola Bakare, ICPC spokesperson, no MDA out of 330 MDAs that were assessed through physical deployment by ICPC teams achieved full compliance.

The EICS serves as a preventive tool used to assess and enhance the compliance of MDAs with ethical standards, policies, and anti-corruption measures.

Findings from the report indicated that no MDA achieved full compliance, while 29.55 per cent of MDAs captured attained substantial compliance, and 51.62 per cent had partial compliance.

The report also observed that 15.91 per cent showed poor compliance, while 292 per cent were non-compliant.

According to the report, common gaps included a lack of whistle-blower policies, strategic plans, and effective stock verification units, adding that many MDAs failed to conduct any forms of system studies or render financial and audit reports.

Commenting on the report, Bakare noted: “This year, 2024, the tool covered 323 responsive MDAs, with 15 MDAs non-responsive and categorised as high corruption risk.

“It is imperative to inform you that this initiative has yielded some positive and value-driven impacts, and these are, but not limited to, increased awareness and compliance with anti-corruption measures, enhanced competition among MDAs to meet criteria, and improved procurement processes and data reliability.

“The Commission recognises the MDAs with substantial compliance and will continue deploying these tools to promote integrity and accountability.

“Non-compliant MDAs will face necessary actions, including enforcement, to ensure adherence to government directives. We are certain that these efforts will continue to underline ICPC’s dedication to enhancing good governance and preventing corruption.”


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Dangote Refinery Denies Liquidity Challenges, Dismisses NNPCL’s $1Bn Loan Claim

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Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals (DPRP) has dismissed claims that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) used a $1 billion loan secured through a crude forward sale agreement to support the refinery during a liquidity crisis.

Dangote Refinery Denies Liquidity Challenges, Dismisses NNPCL’s $1Bn Loan Claim

In a statement on Wednesday, Anthony Chiejina, company’s chief branding and communications officer, said the NNPCL’s stance was a distortion of the facts.

“We would like to clarify that this is a misrepresentation of the situation as $1bn is just about 5% of the investment that went into building the Dangote Refinery,” Chiejina said.

Chiejina stated that the refinery’s decision to enter into a partnership with the NNPCL was based on the recognition of “their strategic position in the industry as the largest offtaker of Nigerian crude” and at the time, the sole supplier of petrol into Nigeria.

“We agreed on the sale of a 20% stake at a value of $2.76 billion. Of this, we agreed that they will only pay $1 billion while the balance will be recovered over a period of 5 years through deductions on crude oil that they supply to us and from dividends due to them,” Chiejina said.

“If we were struggling with liquidity challenges we wouldn’t have given them such generous payment terms. As at 2021 when the agreement was signed, the refinery was at the pre-commission stage.”

According to the statement, the agreement would have been cash-based rather than credit-driven if the refinery struggled with liquidity issues.

The refinery’s spokesman said the NNPCL was subsequently unable to supply the agreed 300,000 barrels a day of crude (bpd).

He stated that the shortfall was because the NNPPC “had committed a greater part of their crude cargoes to financiers with the expectation of higher production which they were unable to achieve”.

“We subsequently gave them a 12-month period for them to pay cash for the balance of their equity given their inability to supply the agreed crude oil volume,” he said.

“NNPCL failed to meet this deadline which expired on June 30th 2024. As a result, their equity share was revised down to 7.24%. These events have been widely reported by both parties,” he said.


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