Government Officials Visit Hospital Computerised System in Tanzania

The workshop focused specifically on the use of HMIS software as Care2x, used by some of the faith-based health facilities in Tanzania. Participants visited workstations at the St. Elizabeth Hospital in Arusha, where the system is used at reception, billing, pharmacy and the laboratory.

"I discovered that the new System will help to preserve and transfer accurate medical information and data, save time that doctors and medical assistants usually waste in searching for paper files of patients,"

said Sr. Getrude Anderson, Regional Medical Officer, the Deputy Health Secretary and Matron at Mount Meru Hospital.

Some of the benefits experienced by facilities using the software are:

• proper data collection and storage
• generation of timely reports
• stock control
• financial management.

The Christian Social Services Commission (CSSC) and the Medical IT Project of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT) held the workshop. Some of the government officials who visited Care2x were representative of Regional Medical Officer of Arusha, Arusha Municipal Council and DMO of Meru District.

HMIS and Care2x are initiatives that support the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in implementing the Tanzanian government’s Health Sector Strategic Plan (HSSP 3). The strategy emphasises the importance of ICT in health service delivery, where electronic health record keeping is one of the key focus areas.

Source: Afya Mtandao, a network under Christian Social Services Commission (CSSC), established in 2008 to facilitate the provision of health services in Tanzania through the use of ICT. AfyaMtandao focuses on Health Knowledge Sharing, and ICT support services for health institutions. www.afyamtandao.org/