By Mphatso M’bang’ombe:
ActionAid Malawi in partnership with Lilongwe Catholic Health Commission have said digital tools are key to improved healthcare service delivery.
They say that is why they are promoting the use of an online, community-led monitoring data collection and reporting system in the health sector.
ActionAid Malawi Technical and Advocacy Coordinator Chimwemwe Kabowa said Monday that they have since intensified personnel training in management information System (MIS) use.
“The good thing is that the system updates users on the identification and interpretation of community-led monitoring issues, significantly improving efficiency while reducing the time, resources and effort required.
“We are anticipating that users, who are data collectors based at healthcare service facilities, will be identifying community priorities, input issues they have identified in the digital system and, right there, those issues will be reflected in our system, enabling us to respond to them [issues],” Kabowa said.
She added that the project focused on pandemic preparedness and response to malaria, tuberculosis as well as HIV and Aids.
Salima District Council Environmental Officer Reuben Chikadza said that the transition from paper-based systems to a digital platform would enable real-time data collection.
“This shift will allow for faster data entry and analysis, facilitating quick, evidence-based decision-making. Through paper-based reporting, there were a number of errors that were being encountered and even the issue of stationery was a challenge,” Chikadza said.
Health Secretary for the Lilongwe Archdiocese Catholic Health Commission, Sister Magret Lupiya, has since urged stakeholders to utilise the system effectively and foster
data-driven decision-making.
“Data is very crucial because it is the data that will inform that we are to take action. If, really, we are talking about quality of care, it has to be informed by quality data and that means accuracy,” Lupiya said.
The move is part of the Covid Response Project which ActionAid Malawi is implementing in collaboration with Lilongwe Catholic Health Commission and two other partners.
The project, which is funded by the Global Fund through the Ministry of Health, is being executed on behalf of the Malawi Government.
The project covers 36 health facilities in 12 districts namely Nkhotakota, Rumphi, Mzimba North, Zomba, Mwanza, Phalombe, Nsanje, Salima, Dowa, Ntchisi, Mchinji and Likoma.
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