November 2023 - eHealth Africa

eHealth Africa’s Integration of Digital Solutions for Public Health Impact

Posted on November 20, 2023August 23, 2024 by Moshood Isah

eHealth Africa (eHA) has the strong belief that access to proper healthcare is a right, not just a privilege. Consequently, eHA continues to create innovative solutions that provide underserved communities in Nigeria with the tools to take charge of their health and well-being. Through their digital innovations, eHA is bridging the gap between technology and healthcare. Currently, the organization is improving their offering by merging their two main applications – LoMIS Deliver and LoMIS Stock – into one, all-encompassing platform: LoMIS Suite. This platform will enhance the management and delivery of vaccines and other health supplies. By doing so, ensuring that essential healthcare services are consistently available.

LoMIS Deliver alone has successfully delivered over 17 million vaccine doses and 16 million essential goods to their destinations, overcoming logistical challenges to keep healthcare running smoothly. At the same time, LoMIS Stock has provided healthcare workers with a more efficient way to report, offering real-time visibility of stock levels and streamlining the planning process through a mobile app.

The merging of these two applications by eHA, promises to be a powerful tool for improving existing health systems. It will help manage stock levels, track deliveries, and enhance decision-making processes with ease and precision. With these merged applications, every piece of data collected will contribute to better delivery schedules, improved stock availability, and, most importantly, ensuring that every member of the community has access to essential healthcare services. The integration of the LoMIS applications represents not just a technological advancement, but a ray of hope for a society in pursuit of a dependable and efficient healthcare system at the last mile.

Fatimah Howeidy, the project manager, shares her perspective, saying: “Every data point we collect represents real people, families, and their futures. By merging our LoMIS Deliver and LoMIS Stock applications, we’re not only improving our technology but also ensuring that vaccines and health supplies are always available when and where they’re needed most, and the process is managed using a more improved system.”

This initiative is supported by the Digital Health Innovation Accelerator Program (DHIAP), which was launched in 2021, and is powered by the WFP Innovation Accelerator and BMZ digilab – the innovation lab for digital solutions, initiated by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in collaboration with GIZ, the German Development Bank KfW, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. eHA project has been selected as one of 5 finalists for the WFP Sprint Programme, and is supporting the implementation by providing financial support, as well as access to mentorship, guidance, and a strong network of peers and stakeholders to inspire and share knowledge and best practices.

Through initiatives like these, eHA is empowered to offer not just technological solutions; they are weaving a future where healthcare is consistent and accessible to all. This future includes mothers who wish to see their children thrive without vaccine-preventable diseases, healthcare workers who rely on dependable data and supply chains, and communities that rightfully deserve equitable healthcare. In the synergy of technology and health facilitated by eHA, each vaccine delivered represents a stride towards improved health outcomes. Every report submitted through the app strengthens the battle against vaccine preventable diseases. And each decision made with precise, real-time data paves the way for equal healthcare accessible to all.

Fatimah encapsulates eHA’s spirit by saying, “Our solutions, especially when combined into the LoMIS Suite platform, are more than just applications. They are our commitment, represented in data, ensuring that every child and every family in our communities has reliable healthcare.”

In this intricately woven digital solution created by eHA, technology and health are seamlessly interconnected, ensuring that each individual and every community can consistently count on fair and reliable healthcare. It’s not just a project; it is a commitment to accessible healthcare through the power of technology and unwavering dedication of our healthcare professionals.

Inside eHealth Africa’s Vibrant ‘TGIF’ Tradition

Posted on November 17, 2023August 23, 2024 by Moshood Isah

By Favour Oriaku

Finding the harmony between professional obligations and personal well-being is not just a perk—it’s a necessity. Our commitment to fostering a nurturing work environment has birthed our beloved tradition: the “Thank God It’s Friday” (TGIF) activity. This vibrant, monthly gathering is not only a testament to our organizational culture but also a celebration of the diversity, unity, and spiritedness that define us.

Held on the last Friday of each month, our TGIF is a variety of activities designed to ignite joy, foster connections, and refresh our team. The event is a lively mix of indoor games—including chess, card games, ludo, and Wood Block Game—as well as outdoor activities with volleyball and table tennis. But the festivities don’t stop there; they sometimes reach a climax with karaoke sessions, where our staff showcase their vocal talents, followed by a feast of food and drinks, making it an absolute delight.

Why do we do this? At eHealth Africa, we believe that work-life balance is crucial for the mental health and overall productivity of our team. These activities provide an informal setting for staff to unwind, connect with each other outside of work protocols, and build a sense of family and togetherness. It’s a reminder that we’re not just colleagues—we’re a family.

Our staff’s reflections beautifully articulate the impact of these gatherings:

Deborah Solomon, a Senior Project Support Coordinator from our Kano office, shares, “TGIF is the highlight of my month! The games, the singing, the laughter—it’s the perfect way to unwind. I feel deeply connected to my colleagues, and it’s wonderful to see everyone let their guard down and just have fun!”

Ibrahim Adepoju, who is part of our network administration team, adds, “The last Friday of the month is something I eagerly await. The activities help me de-stress, and I’ve discovered so many hidden talents among my colleagues! It’s a fantastic way to wrap up the month.”

From Abuja, Diligence Saviour Albert, a member of our business application team, remarks, “I’ve always believed in work-life balance, and the TGIF initiative reinforces that. From board games to karaoke, there’s something for everyone. It’s not just about relaxation; these moments enhance our teamwork and make us look forward to the challenges ahead.”

Similarly, Onyeka Onwuama, an associate project manager in our Borno office, reflects, “These gatherings are not just for fun; they’re essential to our well-being. Connecting with colleagues over a game of chess or a song builds a support system that transcends professional relationships. It’s refreshing and, honestly, a major morale booster.”

Our TGIF tradition is embedded in our core belief at eHealth Africa: we are as dedicated to our staff’s well-being as we are to the communities we serve. Creating spaces for our team to relax, connect, and recharge is not just about building a positive work culture; it’s a fundamental part of our success story. As we continue to strive for excellence in building a stronger health system in Africa, we remain equally committed to nurturing a work environment where staff are appreciated, celebrated, and cared for—ensuring that at eHealth Africa, every last Friday isn’t just the end of a month, but a celebration of the people who make our mission possible.

World GIS Day: Underscoring the Impact of Geographic Information Systems in Public Health

Posted on November 16, 2023August 23, 2024 by Moshood Isah

– Atef Fawaz

About a fortnight ago, Chairman of the National Population Commission, Nasir Isa-Kwarra announced that this administration is set to launch a Geospatial data repository along with an Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics System (ECRVS) as the country plans to conduct its first digital census. This is basically in a bid to ensure every part of the country is comprehensively covered as census has continued to prove to be an effective way to ensure equity in allocation of resources. This coming a few days before the annual celebration of the World Geographic Information Systems (GIS) day further reiterates the importance of GIS in virtually every sector of the Nigerian economy, especially public health.

Recently, it seems a lot of experts who have dedicated their lives to designing and implementing digital innovations to solve critical world problems may have not received the appropriate accolades for their efforts. This may be partly due to the proliferation of digital technological solutions across various sectors with varying degrees of efficacy. Thus it is heartwarming to see that the theme of the 2023 World Geographic Information Systems (GIS) day is dedicated to celebrating the immense efforts made by GIS professionals to achieve sustainable impact in solving problems in the area of public health, security, environmental preservation, emergency response and disaster management, geospatial data management and other critical decision making process.

While it looks simplistic to say GIS is basically the use of maps to inspire change but that’s how the system has consistently been deployed over the years to identify problems, develop solutions and track changes. Importantly, data from geospatial analysis has consistently proven to be instrumental in detecting and responding to public health emergencies and natural disasters. This can go a long way in determining where and when relief materials, medical support and even vaccines could be deployed.

According to the World Health Organisation, by connecting maps, applications, data and people, GIS has the potential of supporting countries and partners to make informed public health decisions faster and to extend the reach of geospatial information across the organization. For instance, while the world is gradually moving on from the COVID-19 pandemic, the role Geospatial tools played in equitable response to the pandemic cannot be downplayed. The booming global availability of geospatial information according to – Karin Källander, Global Digital Health Lead, UNICEF, provided unprecedented opportunities that ensured the challenge of equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines is met.

At National and regional level, organizations like ehealth Africa have consistently installed and deployed GIS tools most recently in the fight against polio in Nigeria. The team successfully provided equipment and human resources to support the tracking of Polio Special Intervention campaigns in northern Nigeria. These support to a large extent not just identify hard to reach rural locations that are yet to be covered during vaccination but also track vaccination personnel in the process. As a matter of fact, the use of GIS tools significantly contributed to the mantra of “leaving no one behind when it comes to vaccination and other health interventions. Thus it proves an adequate framework when it comes to equity, coverage and resource allocation.

Similarly, in March 2012, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a policy recommendation on Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC); a new intervention against plasmodium falciparum malaria. The intervention deployed GIS to monitor the intermittent administration of a curative dose of antimalarial medicine to children at high risk of severe malaria living in areas with seasonal transmission, regardless of whether they are infected with malaria. While providing near real time updates on vaccination coverage, the GIS tracking system also flagged omitted households promoting accountability and transparency during and after the intervention.

Over the years, GIS professionals have dusted the odds using a geographic approach in addressing unprecedented health challenges like Polio, Malaria, climate change, global warming and most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic. Beyond public healthcare interventions, Geospatial tools have been recommended as a critical solution for town planning, development of housing units, polling units location, and fight against insecurity amongst others.

In a nutshell, GIS provides an immense avenue to further amplify the success stories of GIS and importantly the professionals who consistently dedicate time and resources in developing digital solutions that can be tailored to provide context-specific insights. It will thus be fascinating to see organizations like National Population Commission (NPC), Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), Jamitan Tech Nig. Ltd, the Environmental Systems Research Institute (Esri), and other critical Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Organizations and Societies collaborate to chart pathways of strengthening GIS and its prospect as the world host World GIS day.

Atef Fawaz is the Executive Director of eHealth Africa. He is a Complex operations Management and ICT expert with experience in Humanitarian Response and Digital Health

Responding to Impending Public Health Emergencies in War-torn Region

Posted on November 8, 2023August 23, 2024 by Moshood Isah

By Atef Fawaz

In the last two decades, more than 1.3 million people and nearly two trillion dollars have been lost to disasters caused by natural hazards, a United Nations Development Program (UNDP) data reveals. These disasters tend to come with varying degrees of devastation and impacts while in many other cases, affected locations tend to battle with especially public health emergencies during and after such disasters.

While these disasters are largely natural, the escalation of wars in different parts of the world causes both humanitarian and environmental depredation with potential public health exigency. For instance, since its commencement in February 2022, the World Health Organisation revealed that about 7 million individuals have been displaced within Ukraine and another 7.5 million refugees have been displaced across Europe with over 6000 deaths. Meanwhile in the first 2 weeks, the Palestine-Israeli war has registered over 3000 deaths with many more wounded and displaced.

Thus there are major concerns that the ongoing crisis in the region is not just an international relations crisis but also a public health crisis that can result in long-term consequences. With the few available hospitals overcrowded, overwhelmed and reaching breaking point while corpses litter the streets, medical experts are concerned about the potential outbreak of infectious diseases especially in Gaza. Beyond little or no access to good food and water, victims of the ongoing crises risk mental health disorders like depression, anxiety amongst others. Even in the cause of seeking succor, displaced persons are largely exposed to health risks which could degenerate into pandemic both now and in the future.

For instance, Dr. Jack Tsai, a professor and regional dean at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health in San Antonio is worried that people who are forcibly displaced are at greater risk of communicable diseases such as COVID-19 and measles, which could lead to an outbreak. Also, the impact of deadly weapons like rockets, gravity bombs, amongst others could escalate the potential of future disasters from floods, and earthquakes to public health crises like pandemics and other outbreaks.

At the moment, immediate medical attention for the victims of war remains a priority, these nations could be preparing for an impending public health emergency in the near future. With hospitals vulnerable to attacks and healthcare workers losing their lives in the process, the diminishing healthcare facilities and personnel will no doubt contribute to an impending health emergency both during and aftermath of the conflict. It’s more worrisome that these crises have the potential to spillover to neighboring countries and allies to affected nations as a result of mass migration.

This no doubt underscores the importance of developing robust Digital health intervention strategies to complement existing structures for a more improved response to a potential public health emergency and response. One important global best practice is the operationalization of Emergency Operation Centers (EOC) that provides a platform for response teams to collect, analyze, prioritize, monitor, and disseminate information about health crises or disasters. This goes a long way in providing access to information to stakeholders to ensure timely and effective decisions to ensure effective response to health emergencies. Just last year, the WHO inaugurated its first EOC in Gaza as part of efforts to improve emergency response amidst incessant conflict and health emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thus this is an opportunity to identify digital innovations and creative strategies to respond to impending health emergencies in the region. Experts have suggested that Digital Health solutions can facilitate the integration of health data to monitor impacts, and potentially predict impacts on health, and also serve as decision support tools to provide alerts for potential related disasters. For instance, the Center for Strategic and International studies in one of its briefs on Disaster Risk Reduction through Digital Transformation revealed that, using data from Twitter feeds or even from satellite imagery has helped map the spread of disasters, especially with pandemics. Similarly, it was said that social media platforms played an important role in identifying and discussing symptoms of COVID-19 even before it became a pandemic. The online conversations no doubt helped medical experts to determine the origin of the virus and its eventual spread.

Also, applications like Geographic Information System; an important analytical mapping technology, helps build early warning systems in a bid to understand where potential hazards are located, how many people are affected and what response is needed. With this deep modeling capabilities of GIS, public health leaders and governments in developing nations or vulnerable locations have a huge opportunity to build a predictive and estimation data repertoire, which can lead to more efficiently targeted emergency preparedness and recovery strategies.

There is also a need to develop emergency communications applications in a bid to reach out to a large public about emergency response efforts. Through this kind of mobile applications, users can receive weather reports, locate emergency shelters and even register for disaster aid. The app offers tips for handling over 20 types of emergency situations and disasters. An example is the First Aid Disaster Readiness App developed by the American Red Cross which provides health instructions in situations where victims cannot access hospital immediately. The app has consistently helped in to control bleeding, treat a broken bone, perform Cardiopulmonary resuscitation amongst others. Aside from providing support on first aid for allergies, asthma attacks, burns, choking, distress, heat strokes, stings and bites, the multiple section application also provides detailed information on preparing for situations like an earthquake, drought, flooding, landslides, tsunamis, volcanoes, and more.

Developing nations must also learn from the current situation by strongly investing in digital structures, building partnerships across all critical stakeholders and developing a legal framework that meets global standards in a bid to internalize effective digital health strategy.

Atef Fawaz is the Executive Director of eHealth Africa. He is a Complex operations Management and ICT expert with experience in Humanitarian Response and Digital Health

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