About 600 community health workers (CHWs) have been trained on utilising the Electronic Community Health Information System (eCHIS), a mobile platform designed to assist in managing health extension programmes by collecting and utilising demographic data, information on health service delivery, and service utilisation.
The primary goal of the project is to enhance the quality of healthcare for mothers and children in Rwandan communities while also making the work of CHWs more efficient, effective, and impactful.
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During the project's launch on February 22 at Nyagasambu Health Centre in Rwamagana District, Dr. Aimable Mbituyumuremyi, Division Manager for Malaria and Other Parasitic Diseases at Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), highlighted how the system would alleviate the burden on CHWs, who previously had to manage records using over 12 different books for patients with various diseases.
He said that CHWs had to write down patient names every time they visited, which was time-consuming and detracted from their primary duties.
"Before the eCHIS, CHWs had separate books for malaria, deworming drugs, diarrhea diseases, polio, and for tracking pregnant women and tuberculosis cases, among other services,” he said.
"With this digital system, we can now access real-time data and receive daily reports, enabling us to make quicker decisions. Previously, we had to wait until the end of the month to gather enough data."
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Sylvere Mugumya, a senior digital health business analyst at the Ministry of Health, said the initiative is part of the implementation of Rwanda's broader healthcare digital transformation strategy, which aims to streamline services through technology, making it easier for patients to access care and simplifying processes for service providers.
He said one key aspect of the initiative is providing smartphones to CHWs capable of saving power for up to five days, with a system that can be used offline and only requires internet connectivity when they are ready to send data.
Following a successful pilot phase involving 600 CHWs, Mugumya said the Ministry plans to expand the initiative to other CHWs nationwide.
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Deborah Mukabagire, a community health worker in Nyagasambu sector, Rwamagana district, expressed optimism about the system.
"This system is easy to use. It will save our time and allow us to focus on other commitments. It will also reduce our trips to health centres for reporting. For example, the system enables us to conduct tuberculosis tests in the village, ensuring timely treatment for those in need, unlike before when we had to take the patients at the health centre,” she said.
Manasseh Gihana Wandera, the Executive Director of SFH Rwanda, an organisation that played a role in training CHWs to utilise smartphones for their work through digital health, emphasised that the system will significantly reduce the cost of providing healthcare to Rwandans.
"The collected data on various diseases will enable quick response in treatment, facilitate ease of work, and provide support to CHWs where they face challenges, while also seeking feedback on improvement opportunities,” he said.
Paula Ihozo Akugizibwe, a representative of FIND, a global alliance for diagnostics which also supported the project, highlighted the importance of the innovative digital system developed, which includes functions like data management, decision support for CHWs, expanded TB diagnosis, and evaluation.
Addressing concerns about data security, Akugizibwe said the data used for evaluation is anonymised, with strict legal agreements in place, adding that the Ministry of Health has done a good job to implement strong safeguards to protect patient data.
Yves Sangwa from the USAID Tubeho Project, which funded the initiative, said they helped build the capacity of CHWs in using smartphones and the system – a support that extends to supervision and follow-ups.
He said the 600 trained CHWs have been allocated up to Rwf 45 million for 36 health centres across five districts, with plans to train many more through the initiative.