The Registrar/Chief Executive Officer of the Health Records Officers Registration Board of Nigeria (HRORBN), Alhaji Babagana Mustapha, has commended the Standards Organisation of
Nigeria (SON) in its continued technical support in the development, review, adoption and harmonization of standards aimed at strengthening health information management practice, particularly patient safety, interoperability and digital health practices in Nigeria.

Alhaji Babagana made the commendation while delivering a goodwill message at the maiden hybrid meeting of the National Technical Committee on Health Informatics, held at the SON Corporate Headquarters in Abuja. The meeting provided members with the opportunity to conclude technical deliberations on priority documents contained in the Committee’s 2026 Work Plan and some ISO standards, which borders on Specialized health records and public health data, Internet healthcare and telemedicine guidelines, and Electronic Health Records architecture.

The Registrar/CEO noted that the work of the Technical Committee is critical in the delivery of the Board’s mandate as enshrined in the laws establishing it. He therefore urged the Committee to consider proposals from the Board for the development of new Nigerian Standards in priority areas where national regulatory and operational gaps have been identified. The proposed new work submitted by the Board includes standardization of the Release of Patient Information and Hospital Data, Health Records Practice, Disease Coding and Indexing, Medical Records System Migration among others.

He emphasised that, as the regulatory body for health information management practitioners in Nigeria, HRORBN recognises the importance of effective standards in ensuring the accuracy, security, accessibility and proper management of health information.

According to him, harmonised health informatics standards will facilitate seamless information exchange among healthcare facilities, improve clinical decision-making, support evidence-based policymaking and ultimately enhance the quality of healthcare delivery in Nigeria.

“The Board is particularly committed to collaborating with SON and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that the standards reflect professional best practices, emerging technologies, data protection requirements and the realities of Nigeria’s healthcare environment,” he stated.

Alhaji Babagana urged members of the technical committee to approach the assignment with professionalism, inclusiveness and a strong sense of national responsibility. He stressed that the standards should provide a sustainable foundation for an interoperable, secure, patient-centred and digitally enabled healthcare system.

Earlier, the Director-General of SON, Dr. Ifeanyi Chukwunonso Okeke, who was represented at the meeting, underscored the importance of inclusiveness in the standardisation process, particularly in ensuring that healthcare facilities with limited connectivity and technical capacity are not left behind.

He noted that the committee’s work is central to building a more connected, secure and inclusive digital health ecosystem and encouraged participants to contribute ideas that would strengthen the system.

The National Technical Committee on Health Informatics is expected to play a pivotal role in advancing Nigeria’s digital health transformation by promoting a standardised, secure and interoperable health information management framework.