Health Records Board to Establish Specialised Training Institute for HIM Professionals
The Health Records Officers Registration Board of Nigeria (HRORB) has announced plans to establish a specialised training institute to provide advanced professional education and continuous development for Health Information Management (HIM) practitioners in the country.
Registrar and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Board, Alhaji Babagana Mustapha, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja during a press conference marking one year of his reappointment for a second tenure.
Mustapha said the institute is part of the Board’s strategy to reposition the profession in response to rapid changes in digital health, artificial intelligence, data analytics and other emerging technologies.
“The healthcare environment is changing rapidly, and the HIM profession must change with it.
“We are therefore pursuing the establishment of a specialised training institute under the Board to provide opportunities for advanced professional education and continuous professional development,” he said.
The announcement comes as the Board marks 12 months of renewed mandate following Mustapha’s reappointment by the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako.
The Registrar said the past year focused on strengthening regulation, education and professional development of HIM practitioners.
According to him, key achievements include improved monitoring of practitioners and training institutions, review of licensing examination processes, and initiatives to introduce practical components into professional assessments.
The Board also developed harmonised curricula for various HIM specialities, strengthened collaboration with training institutions, and commenced capacity building for tutors on modern health information systems.
He added that the Board is strengthening oversight of university-based Bachelor of Health Information Management programmes to ensure students are properly indexed, assessed and licensed.
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On the professional cadre, Mustapha said the Board has worked to develop comprehensive job descriptions following the redesignation of health records practitioners to Health Information Management practitioners and the restoration of the intermediate cadre.
Speaking further, the Registrar identified rapid technological change as a major challenge, noting that AI, electronic health records, interoperability and big data are transforming HIM practice faster than existing frameworks.
Other challenges include variations in quality of training, inadequate infrastructure in some institutions, and poor utilisation of HIM professionals in healthcare facilities.
“Modern HIM professionals are not merely custodians of files. They are professionals who contribute to data quality, health information governance, healthcare planning, research, policy formulation and evidence-based decision-making,” he said.
Mustapha also cited lack of permanent office accommodation in Abuja since 2014 and inadequate budgetary allocation as constraints affecting the Board’s operations.
For the next phase of his tenure, Mustapha said priorities include strengthening accreditation of training institutions, improving curricula, and enhancing competency-based licensing examinations.
Other focus areas are promoting postgraduate education and specialisation, preparing HIM professionals for digital health and AI, and advocating for properly staffed HIM departments across the three tiers of healthcare.
The Board has also digitised all its services in line with Federal Government directives and established an Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit sworn in by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
“Health information is a critical national resource. Quality health information supports quality healthcare, effective planning, research, policy formulation, resource allocation and accountability,” Mustapha said.
“Our vision is to build a Health Records Officers Registration Board that is stronger in regulation, more responsive to stakeholders, more innovative in its approach and better positioned to regulate a modern Health Information Management profession,” be added.
He called on practitioners, training institutions, healthcare organisations and government agencies to support the Board in building a globally competitive HIM profession.
