The Federal Government has called for the nationwide scale up of proven digital health innovations, saying the country should move beyond repeatedly piloting solutions that have already demonstrated results.
The Director of Health Planning, Research and Statistics at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Dr. John Ovuoraye, stated this at the Pre-Africa Digital Health Summit (ADHS) Roundtable in Abuja.
“We are already at the place of moving from pilot to scale. It has been demonstrated, it has worked,” he said.
Ovuoraye said officials at the meeting had seen practical demonstrations of digital tools capable of providing near real time information on health interventions and helping policymakers quickly identify challenges and possible solutions.
“We have seen that it is working and therefore we have unanimously recommended that this should be replicated,” he added.
He explained that recommendations from the engagement would be developed into a specific report outlining timelines, committees and technical processes required to support wider implementation.
“We are eager to achieve and we want to make sure we deliver within a short time. It is good enough, let us go to work and start running with it,” he noted.
Earlier, Managing Director of Vantage Health Technologies, Paul Bhuhi, said many digital health projects across Africa fail to move beyond pilot stages despite consuming substantial resources.
Bhuhi said the continent had reached a point where attention should shift from testing new technologies to building solutions designed for national adoption and long term sustainability.
“The challenge before us is no longer whether technology can improve health outcomes, but how to scale proven solutions sustainably,” he said.
Also speaking, Technical Adviser to the Network for Health Equity and Development (NHED), Dr. Jerome Mafeni, said sustainable digital transformation required strong partnerships, government ownership and quality data.
“Scaling innovation requires more than technology. It requires strong partnerships, government ownership, quality data and sustained collaboration,” he explained.