13 August 2007

Within the framework of the African Information Society Initiative (AISI), ECA and the World Health Organization (WHO) have commissioned a joint regional needs assessment and scoping study as part of activities under the AFRICA HEALTH INFOWAY: A district-based Public health Information network and geospatial health system for African Health".

The Africa Health Infoway (AHI) as a system will support the collection of sub national health data and statistics for analysis, dissemination and use to support decision making in health, and strengthen capacity of African countries to use information in decision making. This will include: data for epidemiological research; indicators for monitoring and evaluation; financial and cost reporting for clinic management; drug, equipment, supply stock reporting for supply management. The AHI, as currently conceptualised has three main development objectives: i.) to strengthen health systems and improve health in countries by bringing ICT to bear positively on health challenges and facilitating the coordination of existing work undertaken by WHO and other development partners at country level,; ii.) to support WHO's strategic objective in knowledge management ; iii.) to support the newly developed WHO Strategic Objectives within the Medium-term Strategic Plan (MTSP), which covers the time frame 2008-2013. The AHI has a number of strategic components, namely Unfostructure and connectivity; District health information systems, and Knowledge translation into policy and action.

The studies commissioned by ECA and WHO will review and report on the existing state of Health Information Systems, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), geomatics, surveying and mapping in eighteen African countries, with special emphasis in the public health sector. The countries are Cameroon, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Swaziland.

The initiative within ECA is led by the ICT, Science and Technology Division and in order to discuss the data requirements as well as methodology of the study, ECA and WHO organised a Needs Assessment Study workshop from 9 – 10 August 2007 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Mr. Getachew Sahlu, Network Manager, Technology Infrastructure Services of WHO, said that WHO with partners such as ECA initiated the Africa Health Infoway programme to address the pressing needs of African countries for effective, efficient, and reliable health information system through the use of ICTs to help in achieving the Millennium Development Goals. He further noted that WHO is very happy and committed in strengthening its collaboration with ECA in the area of ICTs and health in Africa.

More: Sizo Mhlanga (smhlanga@uneca.org)