National health management information system: issues of funding and support.

Information Technology has made a substantial inroad into Nigerian society, particularly since the late 1980s. It is, however, already being applied in the health sector. The Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex (OAUTHC), lle-lfe, Nigeria has adopted a systematic approach to the development of a Health Information System (HIS) for a typical specialist hospital. A review of the existing HIS in OAUIHC is presented, highlighting its attributes, problems, and limitations. In addition, the options of funding HIS on a national scale are identified and discussed. Finally, strategies to ensure ongoing support of a national HIS are presented.

A philosophy for health informatics education in developing countries: Nigeria as a case study.

The use of computers in the health sector has increased significantly during the last few years in Nigeria. This paper addresses the integration of health and informatics education, or health education and informatics education, or informatics education in health care delivery. It gives an introduction to the status of a health informatics programme in the daily practice of computer use. The essence of a health informatics curriculum, the planning and administration of the programme in medical schools, and what informatics education offers the health sector, even in a developing country, are presented. The problems of administering an informatics programme in a conventional medical training curriculum are highlighted. The article describes the philosophy which should underline the framework for the formulation of appropriate national policies and curricula for health informatics education in developing countries, using Nigeria as a case study.