Will Blockchain Solve Africa’s Health Record Problem?

Can blockchain fix Africa’s fragmented, paper-based health record systems? Or is it just tech hype with a high electricity bill? Let’s unpack the promise, the problems, and the potential of decentralised medical records.

editor-in-chief

Jun 12, 2025 - 04:27

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Will Blockchain Solve Africa’s Health Record Problem?

"A man who does not know where the rain began to beat him cannot say where he dried his body." — Igbo proverb

Walk into a rural clinic in Africa and ask for your medical records. You may be handed a tattered paper file, last updated when Nokia was still king. In some cases, there’s no record at all—just the memory of Nurse Grace and her biro. Try switching hospitals, and you might as well be a stranger from Mars.

Health record fragmentation is a real crisis, especially in Africa where patients often move between public, private, and traditional healthcare systems. It’s like a puzzle with half the pieces missing—and the rest eaten by termites.

Enter: Blockchain. The tech buzzword hotter than jollof on Sunday.

But First, What Is Blockchain?

If you’re still scratching your head, blockchain is a decentralised, tamper-proof ledger. It keeps records in blocks that are linked ("chained") and stored across multiple computers, meaning no single entity can alter them without everyone noticing (Natarajan et al., 2017).

It was built for Bitcoin. But now? Everyone and their tech uncle is pitching blockchain as the magic bullet for health records, land titles, food security, and yes—your grandma’s vaccination card.

Why Blockchain Sounds Like the Perfect Cure

1. Tamper-Proof Medical Records

Once data is recorded, it can’t be changed without leaving a trace. That means no more “lost files,” “accidental deletions,” or “we don’t know what treatment you got last time.”

2. Decentralised Access

Patients, hospitals, labs, and pharmacies could all access the same patient record—without needing to call Nairobi, email Lagos, and WhatsApp Kigali.

3. Patient Ownership of Data

In theory, you control your own data. Not the hospital. Not the Ministry. You could even grant or revoke access to parts of your record. Revolutionary, right?

Sounds Great. So Why Aren’t We All on the Blockchain Already?

1. Electricity and Internet Wahala

Blockchain systems need reliable internet and electricity—two things not guaranteed in many African health facilities. Let’s not lie to ourselves. If there's no light, there's no blockchain.

2. Training and Tech Illiteracy

Ask a rural nurse to switch from paper to blockchain and she might give you the side-eye of the century. Digital literacy is a major barrier.

3. Cost and Complexity

Blockchain ain’t cheap. Whether you're talking about custom development, secure nodes, or maintenance, it’s not just a one-time setup.

4. Regulatory Headaches

Most African countries don’t yet have frameworks for digital health data, let alone decentralised health data.

As they say in Ghana, "The one who fetches the water is not the one who breaks the pot." Meaning? The innovators might not be the ones to implement the actual infrastructure.

Who’s Actually Trying This in Africa?

1. MedRec (Global, Pilot in Egypt)

Developed at MIT, MedRec uses blockchain for electronic health records. It piloted systems in parts of Egypt to track and share patient data.
🔗 https://www.media.mit.edu/projects/medrec/overview/

2. IBM Blockchain for Healthcare (Nigeria, Kenya)

IBM’s Africa labs explored use cases with ministries of health and private sector players.
🔗 https://www.ibm.com/blockchain/industries/healthcare

3. ClinicPesa (Uganda)

Though not a full health record system, ClinicPesa uses blockchain-inspired tech to track savings and payments for healthcare.
🔗 https://clinicpesa.com

The Satirical Reality: Blockchain Can’t Cure Bad Governance

Look, no matter how "decentralised" your record system is, it won’t work if the local clinic:

Doesn’t have a working computer
Isn’t digitised to begin with
Is still writing malaria diagnoses on looseleaf paper from a maths exercise book

This isn’t to bash innovation—it’s to remind us that tech is only as useful as the systems it plugs into.

“Even if the goat wears a suit, it’s still a goat.”
Blockchain is not a shortcut to fixing broken health systems. It’s a tool—not a miracle.

So, Will Blockchain Solve the Problem?

Short answer: No.
Long answer: Not by itself.

Blockchain could be a game-changer—but only if it’s paired with:

National digital health strategies
Basic infrastructure investment
Training for frontline workers
Public-private collaboration

We must fix the foundation before adding the tech penthouse.

Conclusion: Back to Basics First

Before we dream of blockchain-powered hospitals, let’s get power. Let’s train health workers. Let’s digitise patient records—even if it's on Excel. When the systems are ready, then blockchain can ride in like a knight in shining code.

Because as the old Swahili proverb goes:
"Haba na haba hujaza kibaba." (Little by little, the pot gets filled.)