11 November 2017
Each year the Federal Ministry of Health of Ethiopia organises a meeting to review progress in the health sector. The 19th Health Annual Review Meeting was organised by the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH), Ethiopia in Gondar from 08 - 10 November 2017.
This meeting was attended by: officals from all directorates of FMOH including health information technology directorate and policy and planning; officals from the Amhara Regional Health Bureau and other regional offices; participants from funding agencies including USAID and the Gates Foundation; implementers including JSI, InterHealth, and Clinton Health Access Initiatives and delegates from all regions of Ethiopia.
Dr Abebaw Worku, Head of the Amhara Regional Health Bureau, presented mHealth4Afrika objectives and achievements to the national press.
It was agreed that officials from the Federal Ministry of Health, Amhara Regional Health Bureau and funding agencies would visit AmbaGiorgis Health Centre in North Gondar around the annual review meeting.
AmbaGiorgis Health Centre is one of the mHealth4Afrika intervention clinics. It serves 6 kebeles with a catchment area population of 42,750. It is 45 kms to the nearest hospital. It has a mix of 4 Health Officers and 19 Nurses with some Laboratory Technicians and Pharmacy Technicians and a Health Information Technician. This visit facilitated the nurses in AmbaGiorgis Health Centre to provide a demonstration of the mHealth4Afrika beta system and using medical sensors at the point of care to the officials. The feedback received was very positive and the nurses enjoyed the experience. The nurses and clinic manager appreciated the ongoing digital literacy and application support provided by the mHealth4Afrika team.
mHealth4Afrika was also demonstrated by University of Gondar team members during the exhibition held around the meeting.
Delegates from other regions of Ethiopia were able to engage with the medical sensor and the mHealth4Afrika platform to learn more about how the platform is being used in the intervention clinics in Northern Gondar. This meeting provided a good opportunity to raise awareness at national level.