Grace Ashiru
eClat, the health-tech subsidiary of Nigerian payment giant Interswitch, has partnered with the Lagos State Ministry of Health to launch a cloud-based platform, the Smart Health Information Platform (SHIP), which will manage and transmit data for all state-owned healthcare facilities. This marks the second government partnership eClat has secured within approximately a year.
The Lagos state government anticipates that the platform will enhance the efficiency of the state’s health ministry and its resources.
“With the data consolidated in one place, we can analyze and identify trends in the health-seeking behavior of Lagosians,” said Akin Abayomi, the health commissioner, on June 18, during the signing of the concession agreement. This agreement, between the Office of Public Private Partnership and the Digital Health Platform Limited (a special purpose vehicle), involves the state’s Ministry of Health, Interswitch, and eClat.
This partnership will transform the paper-based data management and sharing system of all state-owned hospitals into a digital format, thereby placing a substantial amount of data from Nigeria’s most populous city under the control of eClat. According to Abayomi, general hospitals in Lagos alone generate data from over 7 million individuals. Additionally, the state’s more than 256 public healthcare centers also generate and manage a significant amount of data.
This marks eClat’s second government partnership since being acquired by Interswitch, which aimed to expand its payment services within the healthcare sector. In May 2023, the health tech company collaborated with the Ogun State government to launch eClat’s core service, eClinic, digitizing data management at one of the state’s teaching hospitals.
A spokesperson told TechCabal that eClat’s long-term goal is to develop an “API-enabled digital platform that allows all health ecosystem platforms to collaborate and securely share data.”
Interswitch’s payment business will benefit directly from the partnership, which will enable digital bill payments for those hospitals. According to Interswitch, this partnership supports the rationale behind their 2019 acquisition of eClat, aiming to “position the Interswitch group as a health-tech solution and payments provider of choice to the healthcare industry.”
Government partnerships of this nature are integral to Interswitch’s overarching goal of boosting the adoption of digital payments in Nigeria’s predominantly cash-based economy. “There is tremendous value, both financial and otherwise, locked up in sectors and areas where the government is a key player, especially in healthcare, transportation, and other essential social services,” said Mitchell Elegbe, founder and CEO of Interswitch, at the concession signing event.
Prior to its acquisition by Interswitch, eClat’s electronic health record platform was already in use in over 250 public and private healthcare facilities across Nigeria. This new government partnership is expected to significantly increase that number.
