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Background Nigeria's national health information system (HIS) data sources are grouped into institutional and population based data that traverse many government institutions. Communication and collaboration between these institutions are limited, fraught with fragmentation and challenges national HIS functionality. Objectives The objective of this paper was to share insights from and the implications of a recent review of Nigeria's HIS policy in 2014 that resulted in its substantial revision. We also highlight some subsequent enactments. Review process and outcomes In 2013, Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Health launched an inter‐ministerial and multi‐departmental review of the National Health Management Information System policy of 2006. The review was guided by World Health Organization's ‘Framework and Standards for Country Health Information Systems’. The key finding was a lack of governance mechanisms in the execution of the policy, including an absent data management governance process. The review also found a multiplicity of duplicative, parallel reporting tools and platforms. Conclusion Recommendations for HIS Policy revisions were proposed to and implemented by the Federal Government of Nigeria. The revised HIS policy now provides for a strong framework for the leadership and governance of the HIS with early results.

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<p>The motivation for this paper is the strikingly sad statistics, obtained from various research bodies globally, regarding the effect of cancers on the global populace and the impact of current methods put in place for the early diagnosis of cancer. This paper is novel for many reasons. Primarily, it presents the use of an optical biosensor based on photonic crystal for cancer cell detection. This biosensor was recently developed as an ultra-compact biochemical sensor based on a 2D photonic crystal cavity known for altering its spectrum in proportion to minute changes in refractive index. Secondarily, The Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) and Plane Wave Expansion (PWE) techniques were applied to analyze the possibility of using photonic crystals as biosensors for the detection of cancer cells. The obtained resonant wavelength from the analysis of simulated results was 1.54964 µm and transmitted power obtained from the analysis was 51.9%. For the cancerous cell sample, The PC 12 Cell, the obtained resonant wavelength from analysis of the simulated results was 1.54964 µm and the transmitted power obtained from the analysis was 55.6%.</p>