The scheme in context
The Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar (RGoZ) is committed to providing quality health care for all its citizens with the goal of achieving Universal Health Coverage. To improve the efficiency of resource allocation, the Government of Zanzibar developed a digital health strategy to make data available in a timely manner and improve transparency, efficiency and effectiveness of the health care delivery process.
Since 2019 PharmAccess has been working with the Ministry of Health Social Welfare, Gender Elderly and Children (MoHSWGEC) of Zanzibar to support the review of its health financing model, the establishment of quality improvement structures and the implementation of digital health strategies. One element of this is the digitalisation of health utilisation data and the establishment of a national client registry.
How the scheme uses openIMIS
Health utilisation data collected through openIMIS are used to inform the government on the consumption patterns at the healthcare facilities per geographical area.
The customisation and initial set up are both configured to enable end users to access the system on the web and on mobile devices. Community Health Volunteers (CHVs) are trained to use the App installed on mobile phones to collect demographic, poverty mapping data and other enrolment details of the household members. Up on completion of enrolment the CHV issues a card with unique identification number, known as Kadi ya Matibabu. This card has a QR code and is used to identify the holder when seeking services at a health facility. With this approach, it is possible to collect utilisation data at each facility, to determine the type of services provided, socioeconomic characteristics of those using the service, and total cost of services provided. It also identifies areas of under or overuse of services.Â
From February 2022, as part of the process to support establishment of a functional Zanzibar Health Services Fund (ZHSF), the government of Zanzibar in collaboration with PharmAccess Tanzania will customise the openIMIS to accommodate requirements for health insurance management. To align with the government’s plans to enroll the formal sector by April 1st, the initial plan is to start with registration of formal sector employees by March 2022.
Full project scope
To learn more about the implementation of openIMIS, including the configuration and system set up, visit the wiki page
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