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Beyond Consent: Rethinking Data Ownership in Health Tech Ecosystems

Tamuka Mavenge Moyo, Sylvester Tafirenyika, Adeola Okesiji, Odunayo Oyasiji, Opeoluwa Oluwanifemi Ajayi

Abstract

In the age of digital health transformation, questions surrounding the ownership and governance of health data have become increasingly urgent and complex. This study, titled “Beyond Consent: Rethinking Data Ownership in Health Tech Ecosystems,” investigates the inadequacy of traditional consent models and explores emergent frameworks for equitable data stewardship. Rooted in a conceptual review methodology, the paper draws on a wide range of scholarly sources spanning global and Nigerian contexts between 2000 and 2022. It critically examines how health data flows across various stakeholders—including patients, healthcare providers, tech companies, and governments—and evaluates the ethical, legal, and infrastructural challenges in ensuring fairness, autonomy, and trust in health data ecosystems. The study finds that legacy models of data custodianship, anchored in institutional control, are increasingly misaligned with modern technological realities such as mobile health applications, artificial intelligence, and national health databases. It identifies patients not merely as passive data subjects, but as potential data sovereigns whose rights to agency, privacy, and control must be safeguarded through participatory governance mechanisms. Key findings also highlight the negative impact of consent fatigue, regulatory ambiguity, digital divides, and lack of transparency on patient engagement and system trustworthiness. The paper concludes that shifting from consent-centric paradigms to rights-based ownership models is critical for building trustworthy, inclusive, and sustainable digital health systems. It recommends multi-stakeholder collaboration, ethical-by-design frameworks, and context- specific policy innovations—particularly for developing countries like Nigeria. Ultimately, this work provides a timely and rigorous framework for rethinking health data governance in a way that upholds equity, trust, and innovation in a rap

Keywords

Data OwnershipDigital HealthHealth GovernancePatient AutonomyConsent FatigueNigeria

References

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