from ADANE BIKILA in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Ethiopia Bureau
ADDIS ABABA, (CAJ News) – THE deployment of new technologies has yielded positive results in the provision of healthcare in crisis-affected and under-served regions of Ethiopia.
However, the government and private sector must channel more investment in digital infrastructure to maintain this breakthrough.
This is according to an expert as the country rolls out the Health Resources and Services Availability Monitoring System (HeRAMS), a digital, World Health Organization-(WHO-) led initiative providing dynamic, real-time information on the availability and functionality of health services and infrastructure.
The latest rollout has been in the Western Oromia Cluster.
This follows successful implementations in the Tigray and Afar regions in the north.
The objectives of the HeRAMS initiative is to establish real-time mapping of health facilities and service availability and to enable more accurate and timelier, data-driven prioritisation of health interventions.
It also aims to strengthen preparedness and response capacities in fragile and conflict-affected areas.
Dr Abiy Girmay, local WHO Health Service Resilience Officer, said the implementation of HeRAMS technologies in Western Oromia yielded lessons including that decentralized data ownership proved effective in enhancing the accuracy and completeness of the data, as local health teams actively participated in data validation and entry.
Also eliminating paperwork, the HeRAMS platform is effective in areas with limited internet connectivity and infrastructure.
“However, the experience also highlighted the need for continued investment in digital infrastructure and capacity-building to support ongoing data updates and ensure the long-term sustainability of the system,” Girmay said.
– CAJ News