JOE Akabuike, the outgoing Anambra State Commissioner of Health, has applauded the European Union, EU, for supporting the ministry in organising training for improved data collection.

The commissioner made the observation as EU in partnership with the Anambra State Ministry of Health, organised a one-day training for Disease Surveillance/Notification Officers and Monitoring/Evaluation Officers across the state.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Health Ministry, John Ndibe, said that the training, which took place at Awka, the Anambra capital, was aimed at improving capacity and competencies of participants in data collection, collation and management.

Akabuike noted that before EU’s intervention, data collection from private health facilities was totally poor.

This situation, he said, hampered government’s improved policy and decision-making toward providing adequate and affordable healthcare services.

The commissioner urged the participants to put in more efforts to replicate all they would learn at their various post or offices for better data collection.

The Programme Manager, WHO/EU, Health System Management, Anambra, Ndubuisi Oji, pointed out that his organisation was able to convince private health facilities to start reporting their data to the state.

This, he said, was done through proactive advocacies and meetings.

“These efforts have paid off, because right now not less than 139 private hospitals are reporting their data to state,’’ he said.

Oji said that it was regrettable that most Monitoring/Evaluation officers did not know how to use available tools to collect data.

He emphasised that it was time to learn, noting that for any state to achieve Universal Health Coverage, information would remain very crucial.

“Information is not just spoken words; it has to do with reporting documents.

“There has always been report of stock out of reporting tools for Health Management Information System and Integrated Disease Surveillance/Response System,’’ he said.

According to Oji, the training is partly organised to design a process that will inform supply of tools, use of tools and request for replacement from the state to health facilities.

“It is not that these tools are not on ground in the facilities or in the state, but there is no mechanism to track issue of tools in the state or feedback from the facilities.

“EU wants to strengthen this system to ensure that tools are not out of stock in the state and to also ensure that there is system that informs replacement in advance,’’ he added.

The State’s WHO consultant on Health Management Information System (HMIS), Sunkanmi Quazzeem, observed that people at state levels could not give information because of faulty data collation processes.

He advocated institutionalisation of Logistics Management System in health facilities to strengthen data collection.

“This will specifically provide Monitoring/Evaluation resources and other consumables for officers to utilise monthly in sending reports to the state.

He added that reporting templates provided to users would facilitate reporting through the Local Government and the state.

“The summaries of reports will give the state broad view of the National Health Management Information System, NHMIS, logistics,’’ he noted.

Quazzeem said that through broad overview of report summaries, the state would identify areas where the partners could help in funding and using the data for proper planning.

One of the participants, Monitoring/Evaluation, Awka North Local Government Area, Helen Akaniru, thanked the organisers of the training, stressing that it would aid her to give accurate report.

– June 18, 2019 @ 11:05 GMT |