Keeping one health record for a relative in Nigeria, from abroad

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

One shared family record holds the history, medicines, every visit report and a monthly family note. The Kinkeeper checks each visit report before it reaches the family. Share information with treating clinicians when the member agrees.

Related

• Managing high blood pressure or diabetes for a relative from abroad
• Choosing a hospital in Lagos