1. Routine Health Information Network
Strengthening Routine
Health Information Systems
through regional networks
Date 11/14/2016
IVth Health System Research Symposium
Vancouver, Canada

2. RHIS in the spotlight:
M&A for Health Summit in June 2015
​ Call for Action (Action Point 4)
​ Maximize effective use of the data revolution, based on
open standards, to rapidly improve health facility and
community health information systems, including well-
functioning disease and risk surveillance systems, and
financial and health workforce accounts
2

3. The role and importance of decentralized
Routine Health Information System (RHIS)
​ Facility-based and ideally also community-based
​ Main source of information for (daily) planning and
management of quality health services at district level and
below
 Coverage and quality of health interventions
 Disease surveillance
 Commodity security
 Financial management
​ Also feeding information into national and global levels (for
example monitoring of SDGs)
​ Ideal tool for integrated management of health interventions
3

4. But we all know ...
RHIS in most LMICs are
woefully inadequate
to provide the needed
information support
...
4

5. What is wrong with existing routine
health information systems?
 Plethora, irrelevance and poor quality of the
data collected
 Centralization of information management
without feedback to district and service
delivery levels
 Fragmentation into “program- oriented”
information systems: duplication and waste
 Poor and inadequately used HIS resources
and infrastructure (including ICT)
AS A RESULT
 Poor use of information by users at all levels
5

6. We have evidence based interventions
to improve RHIS performance
 Technical interventions
 Establish a set of essential indicators
 Redesign RHIS architecture
 Ensure interoperability between RHIS subsystems
 Organizational interventions
 Create an information culture with incentives for use
of information
 Behavioral interventions
 Capacity building at all levels
6

7. But, to further the cause of RHIS
strengthening …
… we need advocacy
• System strengthening interventions take
time: usually a minimum of 3-5 years
• Lack of visibility as compared to vertical
disease interventions
– Fight against the common mindset: “RHIS
do not work”
– Advocacy network: RHINO
7

8. RHINO
Routine Health
Information NetwOrk
​ Network of organizations and professionals concerned with
improving the quality and sustainability of RHIS in LMICs
​ Created in 2001 with funding mainly through USAID
(MEASURE Evaluation)
​ Independent NGO with 501-C-3 status since 2007
​ Currently 1,000 + members from 60+ countries
​ Ministries of Health
​ Bilateral and multilateral donor agencies
​ Consulting agencies and NGOs
​ Website: www.rhinonet.org
8

9. RHINO: summary of activities
​ Networking:
​ International Workshops
​ Potomac, USA, 2001 – Mpekweni, South Africa, 2003 – Chiang Rai, Thailand,
2006 – Guanajuato, Mexico, 2010 – Vancouver, Canada, 2016
​ Website with moderated listserv
​ Collaboration with HDC/USAID/WHO/World Bank
​ Capacity building
​ RHINO forums on SOTA topics
​ Listserv exchanges on RHIS best practices and lessons learned
​ Newly designed standardized RHIS course
​ Knowledge management
​ Annotated bibliography on RHIS
​ Publications
​ Consultants database
9

10. RHINO: Results
 Global Attention for RHIS strengthening
 Health Data Collaborative
 Tools for RHIS performance are available (PRISM, DQR, RHIS
Curriculum)
 Many countries have started RHIS strengthening assessments,
plans and implementation (PRISM inventory, 2013)
 Need for networking closer to lower and middle income
countries
 Better south –south learning: sharing best practices and
lessons learned
 Recent drive for regional networks: RELACSIS -- WAHO --AeHIN
10

11. RHINO RHIS Regionalization Session
OBJECTIVES
 Promote the establishment of regional networks for
advocacy and knowledge sharing to strengthen
country investments in RHIS
 Discuss best practices and lessons learned from
existing regional networks
 Share the WHO and MEASURE Evaluation
frameworks and tools for RHIS assessment and
strengthening

12. RHINO RHIS Regionalization Session:
AGENDA
Keynote Address:
Eduardo Celades (WHO/Geneva): Global RHIS Situation
Regional Network Panel
Juan Eugenio Hernandez (INSP): Latin America
Sanjay Zodpey (PHFI): Asia
Issiaka Zombie (WAHO): West Africa
Vincent Shaw (HISP): Southern Africa
Break Out Groups Discussion
Idea Café: RHIS frameworks, tools, innovation

13. Routine Health Information Network
THANK YOU