October 2024 HISP Highlights
In our monthly HISP Highlights, we share the biggest news and updates from the members of our global HISP network.
HISP Centre at UiO
DHIS2 is featured in “50 Selected DPGs in Government Use,” published by Georgetown University’s Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation, which seeks to help government leaders understand how digital public goods (DPGs) can improve public service delivery and citizen engagement. The paper investigates why state and other sub-national government organizations in the U.S. are not adopting DPGs to improve public service delivery. It explores the use of globally reusable DPGs in government contexts, with a special focus on understanding the governance structures and financial sustainability of DPGs.
The HISP Centre at the University of Oslo (UiO) and the Norwegian Red Cross (NoRC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding, which outlines their shared support of the global HISP movement, promoting the use of DHIS2 as a global public good, and exchanging ideas and best practices. The objectives of this partnership are to enhance NoRC’s health information systems capacity development efforts in Red Cross/Red Crescent National Societies, to support NoRC counterparts during DHIS2 use case planning and conceptualization, and to provide technical support for NoRC implementation of DHIS2 systems in collaboration with HISP partners around the world.
Team members from the HISP Center at UiO wrapped up a trip to Uzbekistan on October 25, where they have been supporting the implementation of the DHIS2 TB Case Surveillance tracker and training local technical teams for hand-off. This project, funded by The Global Fund and supported by the National TB Program and USAID, began with training and implementation in four regions covering around 70 facilities, and is now expanding to additional regions in preparation for a planned nationwide rollout in January 2025.
The DHIS2 toolkits for HIV HMIS and HIV Case Surveillance are now available in Spanish! Based on the latest World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, these toolkits facilitate the management and collection of HIV data in public health systems. You can download the metadata in Spanish, check out the full documentation, or explore the interactive demo.
HISP UiO has published its DHIS2 Data Visualization Framework for more effective dashboard utilization. Data visualization is key to transforming raw data into actionable insights. By choosing the right chart type—whether it’s a bar chart, line plot, or heat map—you can uncover patterns and trends that may otherwise go unnoticed. Applying data visualization and storytelling best practices helps users to leverage the wide range of DHIS2 visual tools and transform data into a compelling narrative that drives decision-making and fosters a deeper understanding of the information at hand.
This framework will support the work of epidemiologists, program managers, district supervisors, Ministries, data managers, and anyone who interacts with DHIS2 dashboards. Learn more about data visualization with DHIS2, and discover how to bring your data to life.
Mark your calendars for the 2025 DHIS2 Annual Conference! The HISP Centre is excited to announce the dates for next year’s event, 10 – 13 June 2025 at the University of Oslo, Norway. The DHIS2 Annual Conference—the biggest annual DHIS2 event—brings together decision-makers, ministries and other governmental institutions, donors, implementers and innovators under one roof.
Early bird registration will open in January and we invite you to follow DAC2025 in the DHIS2 Community of Practice and on social media to get the latest event updates and announcements. By following now, you’ll also be among the first to know about our Call for Abstracts, which will open in the coming weeks!
New Mpox resources for surveillance and immunization are available now as part of the DHIS2 Health Data Toolkit! These Mpox tools, developed in collaboration with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the World Health Organization (WHO), are designed to provide a flexible, scalable, and rapid solution for both surveillance and immunization efforts.
HISP Africa
From September 25-27, 2024, HISP leaders from across the continent gathered in Zanzibar for a pivotal meeting that officially launched HISP AFRICA. This collaborative platform unites HISP Groups from across Africa to strengthen information systems, build capacity, and advance DHIS2 implementations in key sectors.
HISP Ethiopia
The DHIS2 Quality Assurance team from the HISP Centre at UiO visited Ethiopia to observe Ethiopia’s DHIS2 development, customization, and implementation efforts. Facilitated by HISP Ethiopia and the HISP Center, the visit included site inspections of both offline and online DHIS2 implementations, and discussion with HISP Ethiopia staff regarding their extensive experiences in DHIS2 development, customization, capacity building, implementation, and research.
HISP India
HISP India participated in the DHIS2 Asia Pacific Conference in Da Nang. We are proud to have been part of crucial conversations on:
- Climate & Health: Leveraging DHIS2 to tackle the impact of climate change on health.
- Immunization Programs: Exploring the use of DHIS2 for better immunization tracking and integration.
- Data Quality: Enhancing the reliability of health data for stronger public health systems.
- Integration: Insights on CRVS and the integration of health registries.
HISP Nigeria
DHIS2 “is going to solve most of our problems in educational data management in our ministries.” – Mary A. Yuwadi, DPRS Director, Adamawa State Ministry of Education
Representatives from HISP Nigeria, HISP Uganda, and the DHIS2 for Education Team from the HISP Centre at the University of Oslo began the implementation of the education management information system (EMIS) digitization project across eleven states in northwest Nigeria. This activity, funded by UNICEF Nigeria, kicked off with a five-day “train the trainer” course on implementing DHIS2 for education data management. The training covered data collection, data quality management, data analysis and dissemination, user management, schools list management, and more. Participants, who largely represented state agencies within the Ministry of Education, are now equipped to conduct similar training sessions for users within their states. Training has also begun for the six remaining states, and state-level training is planned in the coming weeks, as well.
HISP Pakistan
Celebrating 20 years of HISP at the DHIS2 Asia Pacific Conference 2024 in Da Nang, Vietnam. Over 50 participants from across the region came together to explore the future of digital health.
- Key updates from various ministries
- Exciting discussions on DHIS2’s potential to integrate climate data
- Engaging sessions on cross- sector collaboration, client health registries, interoperability, and more.
Representatives from Ministries, UNICEF, and HISP Pakistan contributed their expertise, with Pakistan’s Ministry of Health sharing progress on DHIS2 implementation in the country and future plans to strengthen its impact nationwide.
The future of public health is digital, and we’re proud to be part of the journey! 🚀
HISP Rwanda
It was great to see @UniOslo students diving into DHIS2 tech to enhance healthcare and immunization in Rwanda! Exciting progress ahead! These students are doing their fieldwork to study healthcare digitalization, specifically DHIS2 technology, its benefits and challenges, to enhance capacity building of workers and immunization program in Rwanda.
Since 2nd September 2024, the team composed of HISP Rwanda, UiO and mSupply has successfully completed the phase 2 of the eLMIS implementation in Comoros, configuration and piloting of the system at central level, three regions and some health facilities.
HISP Rwanda is excited to bring technical expertise for historical data migration (SNIS & programs) and on DHIS2 training to strengthen health systems in the Central African Republic. Main objectives: Migrate and test data from the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), and train the PTPE, TB, and Surveillance core teams in data visualization and analysis via DHIS2.
HISP Sri Lanka
Excited to share that Dr. Priyanga Senanayaka, Dr. Pramil Liyanage, and Dr. Pamod Amarakoon represented HISP Sri Lanka at the “Asia Conference 2024” in Vietnam from the 1st to the 3rd of October 2024. They presented insightful sessions throughout the conference. It’s a proud moment for HISP Sri Lanka as we contribute to advancing healthcare information systems across the region.
HISP Tanzania
HISP Tanzania had the opportunity to attend the 11th Tanzania Health Summit. The 2024 summit, themed “Igniting Progress: Joining Efforts for Quality Healthcare through Public-Private Partnerships,” brought together stakeholders to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and address critical healthcare challenges, from health system transformation to combating diseases and promoting universal health coverage. The summit provided valuable learnings and insights from various stakeholders and partners.
The HISP Tanzania eIDSR team, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, successfully facilitated an inception meeting for the implementation of eIDSR. The meeting was chaired by the Acting Undersecretary, Dr. Maleck Santos, and included key stakeholders from the Ministry of Health at the national and state level, as well as representatives from AMREF, UNICEF, and WHO. This event marked a significant step forward in strengthening the country’s disease surveillance systems. Together, we are paving the way for a healthier future!
Joseph Chingalo, our Lead Software Engineer, is part of a team focused on developing various health systems. Over the years, HISP Tanzania has successfully created multiple health systems to assist the Ministry of Health Tanzania and other health ministries across Africa, including Chanjo Covid. Recently, we introduced another innovation called the DHIS2 Analytics Messenger.
HISP Uganda
The Manifesto Reporting System training is currently underway at the Office of the Prime Minister. This training is crucial for equipping focal point officers with the skills to monitor and implement the 2021-2026 Manifesto commitments effectively.
HISP Uganda is proud to contribute to this initiative, providing our expertise to ensure the reporting framework is efficient and user-friendly. Together, we are enhancing governance and accountability in our projects!
Following the onboarding meetings in July 2024 for Obongi, Arua, Moyo, and Yumbe districts, Aga Khan Foundation, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education’s Basic Education Department and HISP Uganda, conducted a comprehensive Training of Trainers session for key district-level education stakeholders in Yumbe and Arua.
Last week, The HISP Uganda team, in collaboration with METS, conducted impactful onsite mentorship across the country, focused on optimizing HIV care services through the HIV Quality of Care Audit Tool and Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) database with health teams across multiple facilities, engaging them in quality improvement data capture, reporting, and analysis activities designed to improve quality of care.
HISP West & Central Africa
Last week, we had the honor of welcoming 72 participants from 18 countries to Saly, Senegal, as part of the DHIS2 Academy, focused on the theme: The Fundamentals of Android Setup. Overall, this experience was very enriching, with the participants gaining substantial knowledge through this training.
We are pleased to inform you that our upcoming DHIS2 regional training will focus on the analysis of tuberculosis surveillance data. This event is organized in partnership with the Global Fund and DHIS2, and aims to build capacity in the use of data for better management of this disease.
DHIS2 Server Administration Training with Ansible: A Step Toward Better IT Infrastructure Management
Server administration is a key issue in maintaining and securing IT infrastructures. It is in this context that the Directorate of Information Systems and IT Services (DSI/SERSI) of Burkina Faso requested intensive training on the administration of DHIS2 servers with HISP West and Central Africa, by integrating Ansible, the new configuration management tool.
