Photo: Dr Meleh*
BY INUSA NDAHI, MAIDUGURI
The Borno State Primary Health Care Development Agency (BoSPHCDA) under the leadership of the Executive Director, Dr. Sule Meleh and Nigeria State Health Investment Project- Additional Financing (NSHIP-AF), through the Project Coordinator, Hajiya Habiba Saidu have embarked on Intensive training on District Health Information System (DHIS2) Mobile Data Capture for Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and Health Workers across the state.
DHIS2 is a web application that can be use on any device such as Laptops, Palmtops, Android Mobile Devices in generating accurate and timely reports in Health Facilities even in remote areas without network connectivity, but efficiently and effectively.
Declaring the Training open yesterday at Emerald Royal Hill Hotels, Gombe state, Saidu said, it is pertinent to transit from the ‘paperwork based to electronic based’ in managing Data in all the Primary and Secondary Health Facilities contracted by the NSHIP, which is a World Bank assisted project in providing essential drugs, laboratory/medical equipment and improve Maternal New Born and Child Health Indices, renovation of structures in Health Facilities that seeks to strengthen the health system with strict adherence to Performance Based Financing (PBF) guidelines.
Represented by the Training Lead of the Project Implementation Unit (PIU), Mallam Tijjani Yerwama, she said similar trainings were held last week in Maiduguri, the state capital, with participants from Maiduguri Metropolitan Council (MMC), Jere, Magumeri and Kaga Local Government Areas of Borno North and Central Senatorial Districts as well as Facilitators from the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, BoSPHCDA, Hospital Management Board (HMB), Independent Verifier Agency (IVA) and Contract Management Verification Agency (CMVAs) among others.
Yerwama said, participants from Hawul, Shani, Askira-Uba, Biu, Bayo and Kwaya -Kusar LGAs in Southern Senatorial Zone would be trained in Gombe for its proximity to avoid the hardship being faced while plying the Biu-Buratai-Buni Yadi-Damaturu or Askira-Uba-Gwoza-Bama- Maiduguri roads, which have been a death trap.
His words: “We are training our CBOs and PHC Assessors on DHIS2 Mobile Data Capture so that, henceforth, all Data that would be generated in our contracted Health Facilities for Community Clients Satisfaction Survey (CCSS), IVAs, CMVAs or Administrators in the NSHIP/PBF implementation process would be digitized electronically, instead of the old fashion of paperwork, that is very cumbersome and time wasting.
“We held similar training last week in Maiduguri, the state capital, with participants from Maiduguri Metropolitan Council (MMC), Jere, Magumeri and Kaga Local Government Areas of Borno North and Central Senatorial Districts.
“This time around and due to peculiar security situation of roads that link Southern Borno to Maiduguri, our participants from Hawul, Shani, Askira-Uba, Biu, Bayo and Kwaya -Kusar LGAs in Southern Senatorial Zone would be trained in Gombe for its proximity to avoid the hardship being faced while plying the Biu-Buratai-Buni Yadi-Damaturu or Askira-Uba-Gwoza-Bama- Maiduguri roads, which have been a death trap.
“At the end of this training, we expect transition from paper Based to Electronic Based system of application in assessment of Quality Checklists by our IVAs, CMVAs, Administrators and Data Managers in our Health Facilities.
“We also want to make sure that Data Managers do their work and upload their Data on the Server or to the Cloud without much hicupps”. Yerwama said.
The Data Manager of PIU, Mr. Victor Adeniyi applauded the initiators of the DHIS2 project, which according to him, prone errors and difficulties faced in paperwork, will be a thing of the past, as DHIS2 Mobile Data Capture will surely make work easier without stress.
He said, already, a total of 101 Primary and Secondary Health Facilities were contracted by NSHIP in 10 Local Government Areas, with more effort to scale up to other remaining LGAs across the state.
In an interview, the Technical Assistant (TA) for Borno/Yobe states, Mr. Nji Valery Che said the training is timely as introduction of DHIS2 Mobile Data Capture would enhance efficiency, saves time and energy in Data Management and analysis.
Some of the CBOs and participants who spoke to our Correspondent, namely Mr. Jonathan Mathias from Uvu Community of Askira-Uba, Abdulaziz Sadiq from Gasi Community of Shani, Ibrahim Kida from Kida Community of Hawul among others commended BoSPHDA and NSHIP for organizing such training, which according to them, they would use the opportunity and knowledge derived from the training to impact positively in managing Data in their respective Health facilities, communities and clients in the state.
