ORIGIN OF HEALTH RECORDS OFFICERS REGISTRATION BOARD OF NIGERIA

The establishment and development of the Health Records in Nigeria according to Lorraine Nicholson (2012) began over 40 years ago when a number of Nigeria Medical Records Officers, including Mr. Akanji Daniel O. and Mr. Pius Ogbewe,  went to UK to train at the established schools in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Subsequently, they became qualified to Diploma level which was the highest level of qualification at that time and returned to Nigeria to put their training into practice. In the process they established a national professional association, and influencing the structured of the training programmes leading to recognized professional qualifications.

The Association of Medical Records Officers of Nigeria subsequently became an active member of the International Federation of Medical Records Organizations (a predecessor organization of IFHIMA) in 1972 and in that same year Mr. Abiodun Onasanya from Nigeria became a member of the Board of Managers of the Federation so Nigeria has been involved with IFHIMA over many years. It was against this background that Decree No. 39 of 1989 which specified the duties of the Board was passed.

The Registrar who is the Chief Executive Officer is in charge of the day to day running of the Board. Alh. Mohammed Ibrahim Mami is the first substantial Registrar from 2012 to date.