The Ministry
of Health and Sanitation in collaboration with the Information and
Communications Ministry has officially launched its National eHealth
Coordination Hub at the Shangri-La Hotel, Aberdeen in Freetown.
Making his
statement, the Chief Medical Officer, Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Dr.
Brima Kargbo described the event as a timely and relevant initiative,
particularly with the rapid expansion in the use of Information, Communication
Technology (ICT) for health in the country since the Ebola outbreak.
He
reiterated that the initiative is led by the Ministry of Health and Sanitation
in partnership with the Ministry of Information and Communications and
supported by UNICEF with funding from the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID).
Dr. Kargbo
told his audience that the eHealth Coordination Hub is being established
specifically to help coordinate and regulate the many digital health initiative
that are currently being deployed in Sierra Leone, adding that it will entail
an on-going inclusive, consultative process involving a wide range of
stakeholders.
He noted
that the eHealth Coordination Hub is a joint coordination and regulatory body
to ensure that all digital health initiative in Sierra Leone are aligned with
national health priorities and are deployed in a sustained manner in order to
contribute towards building a strong and resilient health system.
Earlier, the
Deputy Chief Medical Officer 11, Dr. Amara Jambai in his remarks described the
eHealth as the future of health care delivery, with the potential to fast-track
country health reform towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs) and Universal Health Care (UHC), adding that the initiative will help to
strengthen the health information systems and support the delivery of high
quality health care services at large.
The Director
of Communications, Ministry of Information and Communications, Bakarr Tarawally
said part of his Ministry’s mission is to support the work of government to
develop the ICT sector in Sierra Leone. He said it will enable the deployment
of information systems that can support the effective delivery of services to
all the citizens of Sierra Leone.
He said
investing and developing the ICT sector and services in Sierra Leone can
provide the government with some of the tools needed to help address challenges
that may be faced by the health sector in Sierra Leone.
Mr.
Tarawally stated that the Information Ministry’s vision clearly shared with the
Health Ministry to ensure that the citizen have access to timely, accurate,
clear and objective information on national and international issues of
relevance.
The Deputy
Chief of Mission, United States Embassy, Laurie Meininger described eHealth as
a rapidly growing field that is becoming an increasingly invaluable tool for
strengthening health systems in developing countries.
She said the
2014-2015 Ebola outbreaks in West Africa brought global attention to the weak
state of health systems in the three most affected countries including Sierra
Leone.
The Deputy
Chief of Mission disclosed that since the end of the epidemic, the U.S.
Government has made over $3 million worth of investment in eHealth and health
information systems strengthening in Sierra Leone.
She
reiterated that a well-developed and well-utilized eHealth ecosystem can help
address many of the challenges faced by health systems in low-income and
developing countries.
Laurie
Meininger said the launch of eHealth with the establishment of a government led
coordinating and regulatory mechanism is a step in the right direction,
especially the growing importance of eHealth in global health.
The UNICEF
Representative, Geoff Wiffin said digital health has the potential to be a game
change for Sierra Leone in addressing the critical challenges faced by the
health system and increasing the availability and quality of the health
services.
Other highlights
include key statement by the Director of Policy, Planning and Information, Dr.
Samuel Kargbo and presentation on the eHealth Coordination Hub by Research
Specialist Edward Foday of the same Directorate.
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