The Health Records Officers Registration Board of Nigeria (HRORBN) says it is strengthening the regulation and training of Health Information Management (HIM) practitioners to improve professional competence and meet the changing demands of Nigeria’s health care system. The registrar/chief executive officer of the board, Alhaji Babangida Mustapha, disclosed this in Abuja while giving an account […]
The Health Records Officers Registration Board of Nigeria (HRORBN) says it is strengthening the regulation and training of Health Information Management (HIM) practitioners to improve professional competence and meet the changing demands of Nigeria’s health care system.
The registrar/chief executive officer of the board, Alhaji Babangida Mustapha, disclosed this in Abuja while giving an account of his stewardship one year after the commencement of his second tenure.
Mustapha said the board had embarked on reforms aimed at improving the registration, licensing and monitoring of practitioners and training institutions, while also strengthening professional standards and ethics.
He said the reforms were designed to ensure that health information management professionals possess the practical skills and competence required to function effectively in modern health care institutions.
“We are moving towards a system that places greater emphasis on competence and practical knowledge because the demands of the profession are changing,” he said.
According to him, the board is also working towards harmonising the curricula used by training institutions and strengthening the monitoring and accreditation of institutions offering health information management programmes.
He explained that the move was necessary to address variations in the quality of training provided by different institutions and improve students’ performance in professional examinations.
Mustapha said the board was equally repositioning the profession to respond to the rapid digital transformation of health care, particularly the growing use of electronic health records, artificial intelligence, big data and other digital technologies.
He identified health informatics, health data management and analytics, clinical coding and classification, digital health and information governance as some of the emerging areas in which practitioners would require additional skills and specialisation.
The registrar said the board had also commenced the digitalisation of some of its services and internal processes, including administrative operations, communications and records management.
He said the initiative was expected to improve efficiency, reduce delays and strengthen transparency and accountability in the board’s operations.
Beyond professional regulation, Mustapha said the board had taken steps to strengthen institutional integrity through the establishment of an anti-corruption and transparency unit to promote ethical conduct and ensure compliance with relevant government directives.
However, he identified inadequate funding, infrastructure deficits and the absence of a permanent office as major challenges that could slow down the implementation of the board’s reforms.
According to him, the HRORBN has continued to operate from rented accommodation since its relocation to Abuja in 2014, while inadequate budgetary releases have affected some of its programmes and activities.
He also raised concerns over inadequate information and communication technology (ICT) facilities and equipment in some training institutions, saying the situation could undermine efforts to prepare practitioners for the digital transformation of health care.
Mustapha further expressed concern over the inadequate utilisation of HIM professionals in some health care facilities, stressing that their responsibilities go beyond the traditional management and storage of patients’ records.
He said health records officers played important roles in health care planning, research, data quality management, policy formulation and evidence-based decision-making.
The registrar called for greater recognition and utilisation of HIM professionals across the health care system, noting that accurate and reliable health information was essential to effective health care planning and service delivery.
He said the board would continue to engage government agencies, training institutions, professional bodies and other stakeholders to address the challenges confronting the profession.
Looking ahead, Mustapha said the HRORBN would consolidate its reforms by strengthening accreditation and monitoring of training institutions, improving professional training and examinations and expanding opportunities for specialisation and digital skills development.
He expressed optimism that sustained support and collaboration among stakeholders would enable the board to build a better regulated, competent and digitally prepared health information management workforce capable of contributing meaningfully to Nigeria’s health care development.
