ADDIS ABABA – Ministry of Health and Ethiopian Public Health Institute unveiled new digital health tools that are built on top of District Health Information Software 2 (DHIS2) to enhance surveillance, monitoring and tracking of corona virus cases in response to the pandemic.
“We have all seen the evidence shared by WHO and other health experts on how we can help flatten the curve to slowing down the spread of the epidemic and mitigating against the risk it creates,” said Health Minister Dr. Lia Tadesse.
The minister said this yesterday while launching the new health tools adding that undertaking surveillance will require individual and collective protective measures that stamp out new chains of transmission while also mitigating the damage of the spread of COVID-19.
“The tools that we are launching today are critical in terms of routinely collecting surveillance data, tracking suspects, tracing contacts to confirmed cases, issuing lab requests and receiving results, and monitoring COVID-19 patients until their health outcome is determined.”
These tools will be integrated with the other existing systems developed by our partners for better consistency and timeliness of all COVID-19 related information, she noted.
Ethiopian Public Health Institute Director General Dr. Ebba Abate for his part noted that the digital tools will support the enrollment and tracking of suspected cases, create lab requests, link confirmed cases with contacts, and monitor patient outcomes.
As a result, call center agents, rapid response team members, medical officers, lab technicians, and national and local health authorities involved in the corona virus response will be able to do their jobs more efficiently, he underlined.
On the occasion, USAID Mission Director Sean Jones said “Data is not going to stop corona virus by itself, but will serve as an essential tool for epidemiologists and health authorities to monitor and respond to the crisis more effectively. As the disease burden increases, we need to support health workers fighting COVID-19, as well as other diseases.”
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Deputy Director Dr. Solomon Zewdu stressed the importance of real time data to monitor and respond to the current crisis.
Lessons learned by public health experts from prior outbreaks including the Ebola virus indicate that shortage of real-time data needed to inform decisions and potentially life saving policies hampered an effective and efficient response, he mentioned.
“The response for COVID-19 is no different. This is why the Gates Foundation is working closely with USAID and the Government of Ethiopia in providing accurate and timely data to address the threat of corona virus more efficiently and ultimately save lives across Ethiopia and across the continent,” Dr. Solomon stated.
He also expressed that the digital health tools will not only support the Ethiopia but also serve as public good for other African countries in their efforts to control the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new systems were developed with support from USAID’s Digital Health Activity, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s Data Use Partnership, and youth volunteer group to support the fight against COVID-19 across the country, as to Dr. Lia.
A team of experts led by the Ministry and the Institute have been working to configure and deploy digital information systems for public health officials and policymakers to access accurate, real-time information during the pandemic in Ethiopia, it was learnt.
The Ethiopian Herald March 31/2020
BY YOHANES JEMANEH
