Understanding Nigerian Data Protection Compliance Requirements In The Health Sector

Introduction

The Nigerian Data Protection Regulation ("NDPR" or "Regulation") was introduced in 2019 by the National Information Technology Development Agency ("NITDA" or "Agency") to safeguard, regulate, and protect against personal data breaches and ensure all Nigerian businesses in all sectors including the health sector remain competitive in international sphere. Since the introduction of the Regulation, organisations that process personal data have had to make necessary adjustments to the way personal data are collected and processed to ensure conformity with the requirements stipulated in the NDPR. Hospitals and healthcare organisations are not left out in the bid for conformity as they deal with large volume of personal data on daily basis.  The scope of the Regulation is broad as it applies to all kinds of transactions including doctor-patient relationship, employer-employee relationships, manager-client relationship etc.