Balochistan health department and HISP UiO sign agreement on DHIS2 collaboration
The Health Department of Balochistan, Pakistan, and the HISP Centre at the University of Oslo have signed an agreement covering DHIS2 implementation, capacity building, and local innovation in primary health care digitalization, climate and health, and artificial intelligence.
The Health Department of Balochistan, Pakistan, and the HISP Centre at the University of Oslo (HISP UiO) have signed a memorandum of understanding establishing a framework for long-term collaboration on DHIS2. The agreement was signed at HISP UiO in Oslo on 8 September, 2026, following a two-day workshop that also included participants from UNICEF and HISP Pakistan.
Under the agreement, the two parties will work together on DHIS2 implementation and local innovation in Balochistan, with a particular focus on primary health care digitalization, climate and health, and artificial intelligence. The agreement also commits both parties to strengthening DHIS2 capacity within the health department and establishing a dedicated DHIS2 core team inside the department itself.
“We are looking forward to collaborating with the team in Balochistan to fully leverage digitalization as they work to address the province’s public health challenges,” said Prof. Kristin Braa, the director of HISP UiO. “What stands out in Balochistan is the eagerness to solve the problem, despite limited resources and difficult geography—nearly 70% of the population lives in rural areas across a vast province. But where the commitment is this strong, the potential impact is huge.”
Alongside implementation and capacity building, the memorandum provides for the exchange of experience and innovations between Balochistan and the wider DHIS2 community, including through presentations at events like the DHIS2 Asia-Pacific Conference and the DHIS2 Annual Conference in Oslo. It also covers mutual visits, joint research, and the exchange of publications and other materials.
Building on a province-wide DHIS2 rollout
The agreement follows several years of rapid expansion of DHIS2 in Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by area. Health authorities there began deploying the platform in December 2023, with support from local partner HISP Pakistan, and by 2025 the system covered every district in the province, connecting more than 1,650 primary and secondary health facilities and enabling a shift from monthly to daily reporting. More than 4,500 health workers at district and provincial levels have been trained to use the system, which health officials use to monitor maternal, newborn, and child health services and to identify service gaps at individual facilities.
Formalizing the relationship with HISP UiO gives the Balochistan Health Department a direct channel to the team that stewards the DHIS2 platform, and creates a route for innovations developed in Balochistan to reach implementers elsewhere.
About HISP UiO
The HISP Centre at the University of Oslo is the global steward of the DHIS2 platform, working with governments, non-governmental organizations, and the global HISP network to deliver sustainable, country-owned digital solutions for health data management and analysis.
