Health Information Management is one of the major departments in Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex, Ile-Ife. As a professional department, members of staff therein are saddled with the responsibility of contributing immensely to quality healthcare delivery to patients in the hospital and also plays her roles of providing basement data for research, teaching and advancement of medical practitioners’ knowledge.

The department is functionally and directly responsible to the Chairman, Medial Advisory committee of the institution and enjoys smooth working and collaborative relationship with other departments in the hospital, notable outcome of such collaborative relationship includes the Maternal and Perinatal Health Database for Quality Equity and Dignity (MPD-4-QED) a research programme of the department of Obstetric and Gynecology (O&G) supported by the World Health Organization (WHO), with two (2) of our officers as collaborators who are responsible for data entry from the case notes of discharged patients of interest.

Record keeping is an essential practice that enhances quality health care delivery. Health Information Management, being a department saddled with the responsibility of creating, maintaining and providing patients health records when its need arises; its history runs parallel with that of the hospital.

The appointment of Mr. Kanmi Adisa in 1976 as the first substantial Head of Department came with government’s decision in 1975 to take over the then Ife University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex, Ile-Ife). He was succeeded by D. O. Akanji in 1980 and retired in 1995. Other heads of the department that served meritoriously and contributed their quota to the development of the hospital, department and training of Health Information Management students in the hospital since then and their period of service are:

        1.	Mr. Akin Ibimilua                              1995 – 2012
        2.	Mr. S. O. Olatoki			       2012 – October 2013
        3.	Mr. A. O. Ogunniran 			       October 2013 – October 2014
        4.	Mr. Ayo Ijilegan			       October 2014 – December 2014
        5.	Mr. Michael Odelade			       December 2014 – October 2015
        6.	Mr. P. A. Omotoso 			       October 2015 - October 2017
        7.      Mrs. O. B. Amusan is the current Head of Department and first female to occupy the position; she assumed office in 
                October, 2017.
  

The department’s current staff strength is One Hundred and Twelve (112), comprising of 73 professionals, 35 non professionals and 4 secretarial staff.

1. To develop, maintain and control efficient identification system for patients in the hospital.
2. To assemble, analyse and guard jealously, health records of patients and provide same when its need arises for follow-up treatment, research and teaching, medico-legal and other administrative purposes.
3. To create and maintain adequate numbering and filing system for quick and easy retention and retrieval of patients records.
4. To gather, collate and analyse hospital and health statistics for evaluation of usage of the hospital’s facilities.
5. To ensure adequate protection of patients’ right of privacy by securing the information in the patients’ case notes against unnecessary divulgence to unauthorized third party.
6. To classify disease and operation procedures and prepare related indexing for easy retrieval of data for research, following World Health Organization’s established criteria.
7. To impact students of Health Information Management with required practical skills as espoused by Health Records Officers’ Registration Board of Nigeria (HRORBN) and National Board of Technical Education (NBTE) through the Health Information Management Students’ training curriculum.
8. To assist in developing computer service relating to patients’ identification system
9. To serve on advisory capacity to the hospital management on policy relating to effective management of patients’ records.

The structure of health information management department, OAUTHC, Ile-Ife can be considered in view of the method of her service delivery. The department’s service delivery is tailored to fit into the hospital’s formation through her unit locations Viz;

1. Ife Hospital Unit (IHU, Ile-Ife)
2. Urban Comprehensive Health Centre (UCHC), Eleyele, Ile-Ife
3. Wesley Guild Hospital (WGH), Ilesa
4. Rural Comprehensive Health Centre (RCHC), Imesi Ile
5. Dental Centre, OAUTHC, Ile-Ife
6. Multi-purpose Rural Health Centre, Ilesa

The department also has sections through which her members of staff performs their duties and contribute to quality health care. The sections are:

1. Statistics Section
2. Clinical Coding and Indexing Section
3. Central Registration Centre (CRC)
4. Computer Section
5. Central Health Records Library
6. Radiology Section
7. General Outpatients Department (GOPD)
8. Consultative Outpatients, including:
   1. Surgical Outpatients Department (SOPD)
   2. Medical Outpatients Department (MOPD)
   3. Obstetrics and Gynecology (O & G)
   4. Orthopedics
   5. Pediatrics
   6. Mental health
   7. Neurosurgery
   8. Ophthalmology
   9. Ear, Nose and Throat
9. IHVN
10. NHIS Section
11. Cancer Registry
12. Forms Control Section
13. Staff Clinic Section
14. Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy Section
15. Admission and Discharge Office
16. Wards Clerical Service
17. Adult Accident and Emergency Section
18. Children Accident and Emergency Section
19. Secretariat