Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River State says that his administration has allocated ₦5 billion to a broad range of plans to upscale healthcare delivery in the state, including the digitisation of the sector. 

The Governor, who made the disclosure at an event where the Cross River State Government donated 196 laptops to primary healthcare centres across all wards in the state as part of the improvement of healthcare in the state.

This initiative is part of the World Bank-supported Immunisation Plus and Malaria Progress by Accelerating Coverage and Transforming Services (IMPACT) Project, aimed to reduce maternal, infant, and child mortality rates.

Governor Otu, who appreciates the World Bank for its support towards improving the healthcare system in the state states that “health has continued to be one of our very major priorities. It is true that without health, of course, we wouldn’t even have a state.”

And for this reason, the state has allocated “₦5 billion in our 2025 budget to upscale all our primary health facilities.”

Speaking at the event, Dr. Paul Odey, IMPACT Project Manager, highlights the importance of this initiative by explaining how the laptops would help in safeguarding health records which were are mostly paper works.

“Most times you get flooding or fire outbreaks in a facility, and everything including their registers is gone” Dr. Osey says. “But with these laptops, they are going to digitalise the entire system. All health records from OPD, antenatal care, immunisation, all will be recorded and put in a particular set at a digital health information system.”

Governor Otu pleads with all healthcare workers to ensure that they make full and judicious use of the laptops that have been given to them.

“Please,” the Governor says, “ensure that those facilities are put into use and not left as furniture in those offices. Because, actually, the system we are trying to put in place is something that the local government chairmen, the ward councilors, and everybody will be involved in.”

With proper monitoring from a team put together by Primary Healthcare Director General, Dr. Vivien Mesembe Otu, there will be quarterly checks to ensure that these systems are functional and that data is accurately captured, according to the state government.