Date: Fri, 30 Jan 2004 08:45:51 +0530
From: Subbiah Arunachalam
How can health management information systems (HMIS) be successfully
introduced in low-income countries? Research coordinated by the
University of Sheffield examined the introduction of HMIS in Uganda and
identified the problems experienced in the process. Can the introduction
of HMIS support the decentralisation of the Ugandan health service? Can
it assist real organisational change at the local level?
The transition to primary healthcare (PHC) oriented health systems in
many low-income countries has influenced need for more health information
to be effectively collected from health units and made accessible at the
local level. In response, HMIS is a tool that allows for the
decentralised local level management of health systems. The World Health
Organisation (WHO) has identified this area as a priority in low-income
countries.
