Opinion

eHealth Bill: How DSP Barau, the Digital Senator, is Driving Nigeria’s Health Tech Future

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<p><&excl;-- BEGIN THEIA POST SLIDER --><&sol;p>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 3&period;0&period;4 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad4" id&equals;"quads-ad4" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p><div class&equals;"0xLOPOoq" style&equals;"clear&colon;both&semi;float&colon;left&semi;width&colon;100&percnt;&semi;margin&colon;0 0 20px 0&semi;"><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<&excl;-- TV --> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"4399361195" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"auto" &NewLine; data-full-width-responsive&equals;"true"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script><&sol;div>&NewLine;<p>By Abba Anwar<&sol;p><div class&equals;"Iv9gK11j" style&equals;"clear&colon;both&semi;float&colon;left&semi;width&colon;100&percnt;&semi;margin&colon;0 0 20px 0&semi;"><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<&excl;-- TV --> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"4399361195" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"auto" &NewLine; data-full-width-responsive&equals;"true"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script><&sol;div>&NewLine;<p>Only advanced minds and globally exposed political leaders can think of the necessity and relevance of E-Health regulatory framework in the nation&&num;8217&semi;s healthcare system&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The National E-Health Bill&comma; 2026&comma; presented to the Senate plenary session some weeks back&comma; by His Excellency the Deputy Senate President&comma; Barau I Jibrin&comma; CFR&comma; PhD&comma; is a clear testimony that&comma; this Distinguished Senator knows the right button to press when it comes to compliance with the global practice in the healthcare sector&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>As the Bill passed second reading three days ago&comma; it has become clearer that our National Assembly houses refined legislators&comma; who behave as and are global citizens&period; Who understand what is obtained elsewhere across the globe in many sectors&comma; including health&period;<&sol;p><div class&equals;"xwu2dPYG" style&equals;"clear&colon;both&semi;float&colon;left&semi;width&colon;100&percnt;&semi;margin&colon;0 0 20px 0&semi;"><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block&semi; text-align&colon;center&semi;" &NewLine; data-ad-layout&equals;"in-article" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"fluid" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"6550225277"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script><&sol;div>&NewLine;<p>On his Facebook page DSP disclosed that&comma; &&num;8220&semi;During today&&num;8217&semi;s plenary of the Senate&comma; my Bill&comma; the National E-Health Bill&comma; 2026&comma; scaled second reading in our bid to establish a comprehensive legal and institutional framework for the development&comma; regulation&comma; coordination and integration of electronic health services in the Federal Republic of Nigeria&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 3&period;0&period;4 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad4" id&equals;"quads-ad4" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>He was supported unanimously by his Distinguished colleagues&comma; during the plenary&period; After which it has been referred to the Committee on Health &lpar;Secondary and Tertiary&rpar; for the remaining legislative process&period; Two weeks was given for the Committee to report back to the plenary&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>To tell you that DSP is soundly familiar with the digital terrain in the healthcare sector&comma; with deep interest and unwavering care for all Nigerians&comma; he argued on the floor of the Senate&comma; that&comma; &&num;8220&semi;&&num;8230&semi; the healthcare sector globally is undergoing an unprecedented digital transformation&period; Across developed and emerging economies&comma; digital technologies have become indispensable tools for improving healthcare delivery&comma; expanding access to medical services&comma; reducing costs and enhancing health outcomes&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Nations are increasingly deploying electronic medical records&comma; telemedicine platforms&comma; artificial intelligence&comma; mobile health applications&comma; electronic prescriptions&comma; wearable health technologies and integrated health information systems to improve efficiency and quality of care&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The above argument advanced by Senator Jibrin&comma; tells us in broader terms and unhindered breakthrough in the thinking&comma; action&comma; deep philosophy and glaring global comprehension of this noble legislator in pushing for the advancement of our healthcare system&period; With reference to global experience&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>In his added capacity as an astute administrator&comma; a focused Pan-African legislator and a high profile researcher he was able to capture bit-by-bit reasons why digital healthcare system is a prerequisite of modern healthcare administration and management&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The attention of my readers is needed here&comma; where he argued brilliantly that&comma; &&num;8220&semi;Nigeria cannot afford to remain on the margins of this global transformation&period; Despite significant investments in healthcare infrastructure and reforms over the years&comma; our healthcare delivery system continues to face enormous challenges&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 3&period;0&period;4 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad1" id&equals;"quads-ad1" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Medical records remain largely paper-based&comma; resulting in loss of patient information&comma; duplication of diagnostic tests&comma; delayed treatment and avoidable medical errors&period; Healthcare facilities often operate in isolation&comma; making it difficult to exchange patient information securely across institutions&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Because of his glued attachment to the grassroot&comma; he was able to remember that&comma; millions of our citizens are residing in rural&comma; underreported&comma; hard-to-reach and underserved communities&comma; which make them to continue facing enormous barriers in accessing specialist medical care due to shortages of healthcare professionals and geographical limitations&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>As a scholar with real and genuine academic Doctorate Degree &lpar;PhD&rpar; he was able to draw a scientific curtain for the need to have regulations governing the operationalization procedures of digital healthcare&period; Our esteemed Digital Legislator of repute&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>That was when he said&comma; &&num;8220&semi;&&num;8230&semi; the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated beyond doubt that digital health technologies are no longer optional but essential components of resilient healthcare systems&period; During the pandemic&comma; telemedicine&comma; remote consultations and electronic health information systems became indispensable in maintaining continuity of healthcare services while reducing unnecessary physical contact&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>It is through proper legislation that any system strives&comma; cements its parts&comma; provides goodies&comma; enhances benefits and maintains advantages&period; Thinking in the same way Senator Jibrin believes that&comma; with the negation of clear legislation there is every likelihood that&comma; what becomes the outputs are &&num;8220&semi;&&num;8230&semi; fragmented implementation&comma; inconsistent standards&comma; inadequate interoperability&comma; weak governance structures and uncertainty regarding legal responsibilities of healthcare providers operating digital platforms&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>During his presentation or rather arguments&comma; he behaved as if he was a medical personnel&period; When he raised the issue of data confidentiality and management&period; One of the core behavior of health workers&comma; to safeguard the privacy and health history of patients&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Too tantalizing for a non-medical person&comma; when he argued that&comma; &&num;8220&semi;Distinguished Colleagues&comma; data protection remains one of the cornerstones of this legislation&period; Health information is among the most sensitive categories of personal information&period; The Bill therefore establishes robust safeguards to ensure confidentiality&comma; integrity and security of patients&&num;8217&semi; medical records&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Thinking from informed position ab initio&comma; to show to all that&comma; DSP Jibrin knew his starting point&comma; he knows where he was heading to and knows the clear message involved in digitalizing healthcare system&comma; with relevant stakeholders&comma; he identified possible collaborators who are critical in the implementation of this all-important Bill&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>He said&comma; &&num;8220&semi;&&num;8230&semi; this Bill aligns with the Federal Government&&num;8217&semi;s digital transformation agenda&comma; the National Digital Health Strategic Framework&comma; the National Health Act&comma; Universal Health Coverage objectives&comma; the Nigeria Data Protection Act and our broader commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals&comma; particularly Goal 3 on Good Health and Well-being and Goal 9 on Industry&comma; Innovation and Infrastructure&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Before the Bill scaled the second reading&comma; DSP urged his colleagues to see wisdom in the Bill and support him for its passage&period; Understanding the critical need for the Bill&comma; having gone far and wide across the globe he believes that this 21st century digital era should be reflected in our healthcare sector&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>In his urge to colleagues he said&comma; &&num;8220&semi;This Bill represents a bold legislative response to the realities of twenty-first-century healthcare&period; It provides the legal foundation necessary for building a modern&comma; efficient&comma; inclusive and technology-driven healthcare system that will serve present and future generations of Nigerians&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;I therefore urge my Distinguished Colleagues to support this very important Bill and allow it to proceed to Second Reading&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Anwar writes from Kano<br &sol;>&NewLine;Sunday&comma; 12th July&comma; 2026<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><&excl;-- END THEIA POST SLIDER -->&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 3&period;0&period;4 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad5" id&equals;"quads-ad5" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"autorelaxed" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"1004305389"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 3&period;0&period;4 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad3" id&equals;"quads-ad3" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;

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