Ecowas Commission Steers Towards Common E-Health Program

25 August 2010
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Economic Community of West African States (Abuja)
press release

Ouagadougou - Burkina Faso — The ECOWAS Commission has kicked-off a plan to develop an institutional framework that will drive the ECOWAS health care policy towards the establishment of a robust ICT-based Health Information System for the region.

The system will drive the implementation of programmes for the sector at the regional level, the Director of the ECOWAS Community Computer Centre, Dr Monisoye Afolabi explained during a three-day meeting which ended in Ouagadougou on Friday 13th August, 2010.

The meeting enabled the Director and a team comprising representatives of the West African Health Organisation (WAHO), health expert, Professor Olurotimi Fakeye of the University of Ilorin and health economist, Dr. Amadou Koita, to review WAHO's e-Health strategy to determine how best to use it to develop an integrated Health Information System for the region.

Dr Afolabi then explained that the proposed ECOWAS E-health Program will among other things ensure the accessibility of information for monitoring, planning and evaluation of health care delivery in the region. He said the programme will fall within the ambit of the Regional Wide Area Network (ECOWAN), a public sector e-governance platform that will connect the Commission, other ECOWAS institutions and affiliated government offices of Member States. He pledged the Commission's preparedness to offer the support necessary for its success.

Presenting WAHO's strategy, the Director of Research and Health Information System, WAHO, Dr. Stanislas Kambou spoke of the threat posed by infant and maternal mortality as well as infectious and viral diseases to life expectancy in the region. He then emphasised the need for Member States to improve their health care delivery system which hinges on the information capacity of health care personnel. Dr. Kambou welcomed the ECOWAS-WAHO common vision to reinforce the health system in the region.

Read the original article on Ecowas.

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