Digitalisation
We believe digital health is key to improving equitable access to quality case management and advancing health system effectiveness and efficiency. We provide technical advice to governments on the implementation of digital health strategies and conduct operational research to build the evidence base for digital health development.
We seek opportunities to make effective use of digital tools and approaches that improve the quality of healthcare, improve data quality and access, and support surveillance and outbreak response efforts. By combining capacity strengthening at the community level with the use of innovative tools and platforms, we can capture high-quality, timely and accurate data and target interventions to where they are needed most.
Liberty Bunce
Malaria Consortium’s Senior Digital Health Specialist
Connecting stakeholders from every level of the health system is critical to understanding the ways in which digitalisation can transform community health services, enhance quality service provision, facilitate real-time health data collection and surveillance, and drive data informed decision-making.
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Improving the quality and accuracy of health service delivery
The use of digital tools can improve the quality of care provided at the community level and enhance how health systems deliver care overall. By improving data visibility and enabling real-time data access and decision-making at all levels of the health system, digital tools can support frontline workers to provide better, sufficiently resourced and more responsive services.
In practice: In Uganda, we developed the electronic Community Health Information System (eCHIS) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health. This mobile health application empowers health workers to deliver improved community-based services. In Mozambique, we supported the Ministry of Health to develop upSCALE, a government-owned digital health platform that has enhanced the quality of care provided by health workers and facilitated decision-making through swift access to information.
Read about how we provide technical assistance to government partners to support local stewardship of national programmes.
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Using an open approach
Digitalisation enables processes to become more efficient, while improving the flow of data to aid decision-making. We endorse an open approach to digital development, and support open standards, open data, open source and open innovation to ensure the successful implementation of programmes.
In practice: Malaria Consortium and eGov Foundation are supporting Mozambique’s National Malaria Control Programme to roll out an open-source integrated campaign management platform, DIGIT, to accelerate the digitalisation of seasonal malaria chemoprevention campaigns. Mozambique’s success has created a blueprint for DIGIT’s expansion to other malaria-endemic regions. We are also supporting the large-scale use of DIGIT to support SMC, and insecticide-treated net and Azithromycin campaigns across Nigeria, supporting the Ministry of Health to work towards a sustainable overarching digital architecture.
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Scaling national health programmes
Digitalisation has the potential to enhance the reach and effectiveness of national health programmes by supporting scalable interventions. Digital tools and approaches can support governments to monitor programme performance and respond more rapidly to community health needs, bridging the gap between community access and service delivery — contributing to more equitable and efficient health systems.
In practice: Malaria Consortium is working with South Sudan’s Ministry of Health to develop a digital tool that will strengthen the implementation of the of the Boma Health Initiative (BHI), the government’s flagship community health programme. Digitalisation efforts are supporting the expansion of the BHI to improve integrated community case management of childhood illnesses — such as malaria, pneumonia and diarrhoea — and increase child and maternal survival.
Find out how we take projects from proof of concept to scale, improving access to healthcare for those at risk of malaria and associated health inequities.
Digital health capacity statement
