WHO and Germany donate IT equipment to support health sector digitization

The Ugandan Ministry of Health has today received brand new Information Technology (IT) Equipment worth USD 222,594 (equivalent to UGX 865,029,221) to support the Ministry of Health (MoH) in the ongoing digitization of health service delivery and the scale-up of Electronic Medical Records (EMR) system across all public health facilities.

The IT equipment, comprising 95 laptops and 130 scanners, was donated by the Federal Republic of Germany, through World Health Organization (WHO), as part of their partnership to improve universal health coverage. The equipment will be channeled to the National Referral Hospital, selected Regional Referrals, and General hospitals.

The Ministry of Health is digitizing health service delivery in line with the Health Information and Digital Health Strategic Plan 2020/21-2024/25 as aligned with the Health Ministry’s Strategic Plan 2020/21. This was in response to the National Development Plan (NDP) III and following a Presidential Directive to leverage information technology as a vehicle for improving medical supplies accountability, the quality of health care as well as continuity of care based on a transferable medical record.

During the handover ceremony, Dr. Diana Atwine, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Health, welcomed the support of WHO and Germany, which will contribute to improving electronic medical records in health facilities.

 “Ministry of Health is rolling out a comprehensive Electronic Medical Record system in a phased approach to all health facilities across the country starting with National Referral hospitals down to high volume Health centre IIIs. We however still require a lot of investment in computers, as well as networking equipment to facilitate deployment and scale of the system in these health facilities,” Dr. Atwine said.

Echoing the same appreciation, Dr. Christine Chakanyuka Musanhu, Officer In Charge – WHO Uganda Country Office, said that “Scaling up Electronic Medical Records is an area WHO and its partners like the Federal Republic of Germany are happy to support. It resonates well with WHO’s vision of improving the country’s health system to meet the needs of its population.” She further expressed gratitude for the partnership with the Federal Republic of Germany and the Ugandan government.

Hans von Schroeder, German Deputy Ambassador to Uganda, reiterated his government’s commitment to supporting the people of Uganda, noting, “We believe that by supporting the digitization of medical records, we are playing a part in ensuring timely access to healthcare by all who need it.”