Keeping one health record for a relative in Nigeria, from abroad
Keep one record, held by the person and shared with whoever they choose, with six things in it: conditions, medicines and doses, allergies, the doctors and hospitals used, the last results, and the emergency contacts. Bring it to every appointment; most Nigerian hospitals do not share records with each other.
By Kinship · Updated 19 September 2026 · 4 min read · Information, not advice.
Why it matters more in Nigeria
Hospitals in Nigeria keep their own paper or electronic records and rarely share them. A relative seen at a teaching hospital, a private clinic and a chemist in the same year has three partial histories and no complete one. Around 37% of adults go to a chemist first, so the record that matters most is often the one nobody kept. The family abroad, asked what medicines their father takes, usually cannot say.
What goes in it
- Conditions, in the doctor's words, with the date diagnosed.
- Medicines: name, dose, when taken, who prescribed it, and when it was last reviewed.
- Allergies and reactions, including to medicines.
- Doctors and hospitals: names, numbers, HMO network membership, patient numbers.
- Last results: blood pressure readings, blood sugar, any test in the last year. A photo of the paper is enough.
- Emergency contacts, in order, with who has the HMO card and who can get them to hospital.
Who holds it
- The person themselves, first. It is theirs.
- One named relative abroad, as the copy.
- Whoever is with them at appointments, so it is read out and updated in the room.
On a Kinship Plan
The record lives in the app, held by the member. Every visit report adds to it, the Kinkeeper reads it before anything is escalated, and a doctor consulted through the app sees it. Supporters see what the member chooses to share.
Looking after an ageing parent in Nigeria from the UK
If this is your situation, the page below shows how a Kinship Plan applies to it, with prices.
Looking after an ageing parent in Nigeria from the UKRelated
Sources
Prices in naira are quoted with their date because they move. Nothing on this page recommends a named provider.
This page is information, not advice. Kinship wrote it from the sources listed above and checked it on the date shown. It is not medical, legal, financial or insurance advice, and it does not take account of any one person's circumstances. Decisions about treatment belong with the person and their doctor; decisions about money, insurance or immigration with the person and a qualified adviser. Our platform terms apply.