The recent launch of the Lagos State Blood Transfusion Service (LSBTS) mobile app marks another step in Lagos State’s broader push towards data-driven healthcare. Developed to simplify voluntary blood donations and strengthen real-time inventory tracking, the app aims to make blood transfusion services more coordinated, efficient, and transparent.
Until now, Lagos had relied on manual, paper-based systems and phone calls to match blood donors with hospitals and patients, an approach that could slow down response times, especially in emergencies. With the new digital platform, donors can now register, locate nearby donation centres, and manage appointments, while hospitals and blood banks gain access to live data on stock levels and expiration dates. This shift supports faster decision-making and reduces preventable wastage.
The launch event, held recently in Ikeja, brought together state health officials, medical practitioners, and technology partners. Speakers at the event emphasised the platform’s real-world impact which includes improving patient outcomes, encouraging a culture of voluntary blood donation, and building a more responsive healthcare system capable of responding swiftly in critical situations.
A key feature in this initiative is its integration with the Lagos Smart Health Information Platform (Lagos SHIP), the state’s flagship digital health infrastructure, powered by Interswitch’s technology infrastructure. This integration ensures that blood inventory data feeds into a wider, connected digital health ecosystem, supporting better coordination across hospitals, blood banks, and health agencies in Lagos State.
While Interswitch provides the digital backbone through Lagos SHIP, the LSBTS app reflects a larger public sector vision which is to modernise healthcare delivery through the power of data, regulation, and technology. Interswitch’s role aligns with its broader health-tech portfolio such as solutions for electronic medical records, health financing, claims processing, and data exchange, all designed to help create more efficient, scalable, and accessible healthcare systems.
The launch of the LSBTS mobile app illustrates the power of combining targeted digital tools with effective policy and community engagement. As Lagos State continues to invest in digital transformation, initiatives like this have the potential to strengthen trust in public health services and ultimately save more lives by making blood donation and distribution more predictable, transparent and data led.
By combining regulation, digital infrastructure, and a focus on public health outcomes, Lagos is building a practical model for how technology can help address longstanding challenges in healthcare, not by replacing human commitment, but by amplifying it where it matters most.
As Lagos deepens its digital transformation agenda, Interswitch’s contribution through Lagos SHIP highlights the potential of homegrown technology to strengthen public health systems. By powering initiatives like the LSBTS mobile app and providing scalable infrastructure across records, payments, and data exchange, Interswitch is not only enabling today’s innovation, but also helping to future-proof healthcare delivery for the challenges of tomorrow.