About Yemen
Conference on Evidence-based Information Systems for Health
Sana'a, June 18-19, 2006
Movenpick Hotel, Sana’a, June 18 - 19, 2006
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| Resources: | |
| Participants: | 120 |
Press Release
Bilquis, statistician in the Amran Health Office, is asked by her DG to provide information on names and locations of district facilities that provide maternal and child health services, family planning and immunization services. He also wants to know where emergency obstetric services are provided so that he can plan and budget for additional staff, centers and equipment in areas of high populations that are not currently served. He will need this data to justify his plan and his request for funding to the Ministry of Public Health and Population. In the past, lack of reliable health information for planning and decision making has made it difficult for planners at the national, governorate and district levels to answer such questions.
In 1998 the Ministry of Public Health and Population launched the Health Reform Strategy in an effort to address the numerous challenges facing Yemen’s health system. Some of the most difficult included Yemen’s high birth rate, high infant and maternal mortality rates, lack of qualified health workers, especially females, low immunization coverage, poorly equipped health facilities, lack of drugs, and an overall lack of services, notably in rural areas. The new strategy promoted decentralized planning, decision making and financial management, a district health system approach, community co-management of local health systems and a decentralized, outcomes-based management system. Data to support health reform at the central and governorate/district levels was inconsistent and difficult to access. No comprehensive central health information system existed.
In 2004/2005, USAID/Yemen collaborated with the Ministry of Public Health and Population and Governorate Health Offices in conducting a comprehensive health facility survey of all public and private functioning facilities in the five USAID supported governorates. The Ministry received funding from the Dutch, EC and WHO to conduct the survey nationwide. Data was collected on types of services provided, condition of the facilities and their equipment, staffing, drug availability would help to answer questions about the health system and for the first time establish a reliable database at the national, governorate and district levels.
Using GPS and digital cameras the survey team captured the precise geographic locations of each facility and a visual record of the conditions of buildings and equipment at the time of the survey. The USAID-funded Partners for Health Reformplus project assisted the MoPHP to develop simple mapping tools using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software to assure that the survey results became easily usable for evidence-based analyses by district and governorate and national level health planners.
To disseminate survey results, tools and applications as well as other advances in data collection and analysis, the Ministry of Public Health and Population, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the World Bank sponsored a two day conference entitled, “Evidence-based Information Systems for Health.” The conference included the DGs for Health, statisticians and planners from the 21 governorates, MoPHP, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Telecommunications and Information, Ministry of Planning, the Social Fund, Central Statistics Organization, National Authority for Land Parcels, Surveys and Planning (formerly the Survey Authority), and the donor community. Although the conference focused on results of pilots and studies conducted to improve the functioning of the health system, other organizations were invited to present their work on information systems and to discuss how to apply the tools developed for health to other sectors.
Agenda
Day 1 - Sunday, June 18, 2006
| Time | Topic | Organization | Presenter |
| 8:00 - 8:30 | Registration | ||
| 8:30 - 8:50 | Welcome – remarks from Minister of Health Importance of reliable data and collaboration with other ministries and organizations |
MoPH&P | Dr. Rasae Mr. Michael Sarhan |
| 8:50 - 9:15 | Overview of HMIS – what is it, how can we use it. | MoPHP | Dr. Ashwal |
| 9:15 - 9:45 | State of the Art GIS applications for improving health care at national and governorate levels | PHRplus | Mr. Mark Landry |
| 9:45 - 10:00 | USAID Director Minister of Health – remarks Deputy Minister – Planning - remarks |
USAID/Yemen | Mr. Michael Sarhan Dr. Kholaidi, Deputy Minister |
| 10:00 - 10:30 | Break | ||
| 10:30 - 11:30 | Panel - Recent advances in GIS and applications | CSO SFD MOE MoTIT Survey Authority |
10 minutes each |
| 11:30 - 11:45 | Q&A to the panel (from audience) | Dr. Jamal Nasher, Facilitator |
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| 11:45 - 12:10 | Facility-based information – results and lessons learned from the pilot in Amran | PHRplus | Dr. Hadi Al Hamzi |
| 12:10 - 12:30 | Health Facility Survey – General Overview and Results at National Level (example from a governorate) | MoPHP | Mr. Adel El Samae |
| 12:30 - 1:00 | New Technologies – Tools & Applications Applicability to other sectors |
MoPHP PHRplus |
Mr. Mark Landry |
| 1:00 - 2:00 | Coordination and dissemination of information – how important is it at the national level? And how to do it? | MOPIC MoPHP | Mr. Hashem Awnallah Mr. Tarek Hebshi |
| 2:15 - 2:30 | Morning session wrap-up | MoPHP | Dr. Jamal Nasher |
| 2:30 - 3:30 | Lunch | ||
| Optional session – after lunch | |||
| 3:30 - 4:30 | Demonstration of GIS Tools and Applications | PHRplus |
Mr. Mark Landry |
Day 2 - Monday, June 19, 2006
| Time | Topic | Organization | Presenter |
| 8:00 - 8:30 | Registration | ||
| 8:30 - 8:50 | Objectives for Day 2 | MoPHP | Dr. Jamal Nasher |
| 8:50 - 10:00 | National Health Accounts – What are they? How can they inform health policy? – Results from 2003 |
MoPHP | Mr. Jamal Nasher Mr. Faisal Al Gohaly |
| 10:00 - 10:20 | Census data – its importance to different types of analyses | CSO | Dr. Amin |
| 10:30 - 11:00 | Break | ||
| 11:00 - 11:30 | Routine immunization – data collection and reporting | EPI & PHRplus UNICEF |
Mr. Ibrahim |
| 11:30 - 12:00 | District level data collection and reporting | MoPHP, PHRplus, District Health Office | Mansour Al Lozy, Fawzia and someone from district |
| 12:00 - 12:15 | Video – Data for Better Health | PHRplus | Mrs. Cheri Rassas |
| 12:15 - 1:00 | Panel Discussion: Gap in data collection and Data Quality |
MoPHP CSO MoPIC |
Ms. Radhia Farah Mohamed Bariah Mr. Jalal Yacoub |
| 1:00 - 1:30 | Health Management Information System – integrating and applying lessons learned to new HMIS strategy – Next steps | MoPHP PHRplus |
Mr. Attar Ezzat |
| 1:30 - 1:45 | Wrap-up | MoPHP | Dr. Jamal Nasher |
| 1:45 - 2:45 | Lunch | ||
| Optional Session after lunch | |||
| 2:45 - 3:45 | MapObject GIS tools for governorates and districts | PHRplus |
Mr. Abdelkader Neuman |