What is the CIF?

The openIMIS initiative aspires to make the openIMIS software, designed for the management of health financing and social protection instruments, available and accessible to as many users as possible. In order to facilitate the improved use of openIMIS among various scheme operators, thereby bringing efficiency in social (health) protection schemes, the longtime supporters of openIMIS (German and Swiss development cooperation agencies, BMZ and SDC) have established a mechanism to allow resources to be made available for getting started with openIMIS implementations. This mechanism is the openIMIS Catalytic Implementation Fund (CIF), and is envisioned to remove the barriers for the adoption of openIMIS.

When stakeholders implementing health and other social protection schemes, search for an appropriate digital tool for managing their schemes, they find openIMIS as a suitable solution, but are confronted with a barrier to successfully get started: funds for initial deployment. The openIMIS CIF, hopes to lower this barrier and help potential implementers get started with the software.

Objectives of the openIMIS CIF

The openIMIS CIF has been set up to provide complimentary investments to scheme operators who would like to implement or scale openIMIS in their social (health) protection schemes. The catalytic fund is aimed at helping scheme operators get their schemes off the ground and allow them to keep growing the schemes beyond the initial implementation. It is an important objective of the openIMIS CIF to allow scheme operators to have sustainable management information systems which are adjustable to changing needs, interoperable with other relevant programs, and scalable to include target populations beyond the initial target group. The purpose of this fund is not to continuously support an openIMIS implementation, rather to provide the resources to get started and develop a sustainable plan for continued use of the tool.

The form and amount of the support from the CIF will be decided on a case-by-case basis. A feasibility study and assessment of needs will be done to gain a better picture of the supplemental resourcing or funds necessary to allow scheme operators to implement openIMIS.

The fund is unlikely to disburse funds directly to the scheme operator in monetary terms, rather it is likely to cover various implementation costs directly.

Some examples of how the fund may be used include:

the customization of the software to the local context and the relevant scheme. (IT Development)
The capacity development of staff responsible for implementing, maintaining, updating, and using openIMIS.
limited equipment needs, though scheme operators are encouraged to provide these themselves wherever possible.

Who can apply?

The openIMIS Catalytic Implementation Fund is aimed at supporting operators of health financing or other social protection scheme, for implementing openIMIS to manage the scheme’s business processes.

If you are a scheme operator who feels that openIMIS would be able to support and improve efficiencies in the management of the defined operating procedures of your scheme, the openIMIS CIF could support you in getting started with an implementation! If you need more information about the various types of schemes currently using openIMIS, check out our implementation overview.

The support from the CIF is not limited to government based (public) scheme operators, and non-governmental scheme operators are also encouraged to apply. But, please note that the target beneficiary population and the potential for scale up will play a role in deciding the support offered from the CIF.

What if I’m an Implementing Organization?

If you are an individual/organization supporting scheme operators in their efforts to digitize work processes and feel openIMIS is a suitable tool, please facilitate the link between the scheme operator and the openIMIS initiative. The openIMIS coordination desk would be happy to work together with you and the scheme operator in completing the various steps required for receiving support from the CIF.

Combining funding streams

For the sustainability of a supported scheme it is important that the scheme operator is able to source at least some portion of the necessary resources for the implementation of openIMIS from other sources. This can be done by using existing funds/in-kind support from the scheme operator or by approaching other development partners to co-finance the implementation of openIMIS. We highly encourage combining various funding streams, especially those form the organization itself, as it will lay the foundations for a long-lasting, sustainable implementation of openIMIS.

How to get started

To begin the process of receiving for support from the openIMIS CIF, please provide us some initial information regarding the use case you are interested in using openIMIS by filling out the form at the bottom of the page and send it to the openIMIS coordination desk at cif@openimis.org.

Once this step has been taken the application process will proceed as described hereafter:

The openIMIS coordination desk at GIZ will reach out to you and work with you to identify your needs and clarify other required information.
The details collected during the consultation will form the pre-feasibility study, to define the specific requirements for the openIMIS implementation, including a tentative cost overview.
The contributors of the openIMIS CIF (BMZ and SDC) will review these pre-feasibility study reports and decide on the applicability of the case. For cases that are deemed applicable for support through the CIF, detailed feasibility studies will be planned and conducted.
The results of the feasibility study will support the CIF contributors (BMZ and SDC) to decide on the level of support for the implementation (including scope) as well as discussing the terms of agreement with the scheme operator.
The coordination desk will work with the scheme operator to establish the best modality for the implementation supported by the approved funds.

As can be gleaned from the steps above, the openIMIS coordination desk will be supporting the application process at every step of the way. You can contact the coordination desk for general questions about the Catalytic Implementation Fund and on implementing openIMIS in your context as well as for beginning an application process.

Powering the openIMIS CIF

Currently, BMZ and SDC are the main funders of the openIMIS CIF. If you are an organization that would like to contribute to the openIMIS CIF and use it to expand the implementations of openIMIS, please reach out to the openIMIS coordination desk at cif@openimis.org and we will get in touch with you with more details of the openIMIS CIF.

CIF Use case examples

Example 1

CIF Support for new openIMIS use-case

Applicant: National Health Insurance Agency of Country A

Scheme details

Long term vision: National health insurance
Two pilot districts selected
Standard Operating Procedures defined
Human resources for scheme operation available via secondment from Ministry of Health

Request to CIF

Feasibility study for use of openIMIS for pilot
Customization of openIMIS
Capacity building of staff on use of openIMIS

Following procedures described in “How to get started” above, the Expression of Interest submitted by the National Health Insurance Agency of Country A is reviewed.
- Pre-feasibility study done
- Feasibility study, including tentative costing done
CIF support of EUR 100,000* is approved
openIMIS coordination desk launches public tender for providing the required technical assistance for customization of openIMIS and for capacity building.

Example 2

CIF Support for openIMIS scale-up

Applicant: Community based health insurance scheme operator in Country B