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PATH is a global nonprofit dedicated to achieving health equity. With more than 40 years of experience forging multisector partnerships and with expertise in science, economics, technology, advocacy, and dozens of other specialties, PATH develops and scales up innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing heath challenges.
1. Background
Nigeria operates multiple Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems across federal, state, and private healthcare facilities. These systems vary widely in architecture, data standards, and interoperability capabilities. This fragmentation limits the country’s ability to aggregate health data effectively for national planning, disease surveillance, monitoring, and reporting.
To address this challenge, the Federal Government of Health is implementing a standardized Minimum Data Set (MDS) framework. The MDS will be centrally hosted on DHIS2 and will serve as the national reporting standard for structured and unstructured health data across all health facilities. The PATH in partnership with DHPRS seeks to develop a robust, secure, scalable, and standardized Application Programming Interface (API) that will enable:
- Seamless interoperability between EMR systems and DHIS2
- Real-time and batch data exchange
2. Objective
To design, develop, deploy, and operationalize a national integration API that enables EMR systems used across Nigeria to securely submit data mapped to the national Minimum Data Set hosted on DHIS2.
- Develop a national interoperability API framework for EMR-DHIS2 integration.
- Enable ingestion and transformation of both structured and unstructured EMR data.
- Establish standardized national health data exchange protocols.
- Deploy secure authentication, authorization, and auditing mechanisms.
- Provide documentation and integration guidelines for all EMR vendors nationwide.
- Pilot and validate integration with selected hospitals before national rollout.
3. Scope of Work
The consultant shall undertake the following tasks:
3.1 API Architecture Design
- Design national EMR integration API gateway architecture.
- Define data transformation and mapping standards.
- Develop unified data exchange protocols (JSON, HL7 FHIR, XML, etc.).
- Design support for:
- Structured EMR data
- Unstructured clinical records (notes, attachments, scanned documents)
- Define data validation and error handling mechanisms.
- Establish versioning and backward compatibility strategies.
3.2 API Development
3.2.1 Develop secure RESTful APIs for:
- Data submission
- Data synchronization
- Bulk data uploads
- Event-based data transmission
3.2.2 Implement middleware for data transformation and normalization.
3.2.3 Build adapters to convert EMR vendor formats into MDS-compliant structures.
3.2.4 Implement support for:
- Metadata synchronization
- Offline data submission capability
- Data encryption in transit and at rest
3.3 DHIS2 Integration and Configuration
- Configure DHIS2 to receive MDS-compliant datasets.
- Map EMR data fields to DHIS2 data elements and indicators.
- Configure validation rules and automated data quality checks.
- Implement data ingestion workflows for real-time and scheduled reporting.
3.4 Security and Compliance Implementation
3.4.1 Implement OAuth2 / JWT-based authentication framework.
3.4.2 Implement role-based access controls.
3.4.3 Implement audit logging and monitoring mechanisms.
3.4.4 Ensure compliance with:
- National health data protection policies
- Information security best practices
- Data privacy standards
3.5 Pilot Testing and Validation
Select representative hospitals using diverse EMR systems.
3.5.1 Conduct system integration testing.
3.5.2 Perform performance and stress testing.
3.5.3 Validate data accuracy and completeness.
3.5.4 Document integration challenges and mitigation measures.
4. Deliverables
4.1 Design & Architecture
- API Design Specification Document
- Data Mapping Framework
- Security Architecture Plan
4.2 Development & Integration
- Fully Functional Integration API
- Vendor Integration SDK and Reference Libraries
- Middleware Transformation Engine
- Configured DHIS2 MDS Repository
4.3 Data Quality & Validation
- Automated Data Validation Rules
4.4 Testing & Environment Setup
- Integration Testing Environment
- Performance Testing Results
4.5 Security & Compliance
- Security Implementation Report
- Audit Logging Framework
- Compliance Validation Report
4.6. Implementation & Optimization
- Pilot Implementation Report
- Final API Optimization Report
5. Timeline
The assignment is expected to take a total of 70 working days, distributed as follows:
- API Architecture Design: 10 days
- API Development: 15 days
- DHIS2 Integration & Configuration: 20 days
- Security & Compliance Implementation: 10 days
- Pilot testing & Validation: 15 days
- Source Code Repository Handover
6. Confidentiality
The consultant shall maintain strict confidentiality of patient data, system architecture, and government data assets throughout and after the project.
7. Qualifications
The ideal consultant will possess the following qualifications:
- Minimum: Bachelor’s degree in Health Informatics, Computer Science, Information Technology, Public Health, or a related field.
- Preferred: Postgraduate degree in Medical Informatics or Data Science.
- Certifications: DHIS2 Academy Certification (Fundamentals and Analytics) is highly desirable.
- Strong facilitation skills with experience conducting workshops and stakeholder engagements.
- Advanced proficiency in SQL (PostgreSQL/MySQL) for database querying and manipulation.
- Ability to script in Python, Java, or JavaScript for automating data transformation (ETL) processes.
- Expertise in RESTful APIs and JSON/XML data formats.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills.
- Demonstrated experience in national health data integration
- Proven DHIS2 integration experience
- Expertise in EMR interoperability standards
- Experience implementing healthcare APIs at scale
8. Application Process
Interested consultants are invited to submit their CV, a brief technical proposal outlining their approach to the assignment, and a financial proposal.
9. Duration and Location
The consultancy will be completed over a total of 120-days stagnated period.
Location: Abuja, Nigeria