[afro-nets] Where is the information to manage success? (2)

[Ehi Igumbor <ehiuche@yahoo.com>]

Where is the information to manage success? (2)
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Dear Peter,

You have raised a very potent issue in as far as the comprehen-
sive management of HIV/AIDS is concerned. Access to health in-
formation is a definite challenge to the most of our countries
in the developing world. To this end, the work of the Afrifund
project (as you pointed out), and others is noteworthy.

However, it is important to state that defective (in some cases
non-existence of) health information systems are obstacles that
have existed in most parts of the world even prior to the emer-
gence of HIV/AIDS. Take for example, vital information on health
such as data on mortality is anything but complete/accurate in
most countries in Africa. What HIV/AIDS has done is to severely
challenge this status-quo such that even lay-persons have began
to describe the situation as unacceptable. This sentiment is
aptly put in this year's World health report
(http://www.who.int/whr/2004/overview/en/index1.html) that
speaks about the "chance to change history".

Although there is almost a consensus on the fact that health
hasn't received as much attention in deserves, many will today
agree that current trend attests to some degree of improvement!
HIV/AIDS for example, has quickly joined in the lexicon of elec-
tion manifestos among politicians in almost all African coun-
tries.

Haven said that, it is important too to note, as John Ssemakula
has pointed out, "increasingly health and health related prob-
lems are only really given serious attention when viewed through
the prism of HIV/AIDS". This certainly is a concern that begs
for caution in the way we plan future health programs. It stands
to reason, that given the resources being showered into the
health industry (albeit designated as being for HIV/AIDS),
health managers should develop formidable structures that will
not only address the demands of HIV/AIDS, but other health con-
cerns.

The paradigm Peter Burgess speaks about involving grass-root de-
velopment is but one approach, but it must be weighed carefully
against all others to see that it's what works best. Health in-
formation systems that should be built, must not only excel-
lently serve the information needs of HIV/AIDS, but also hyper-
tension, diabetes and other "non-HIV/AIDS problems". That way,
"a chance to change history" will not merely be a suggestive
statement of the WHO, but rather one with great prophetic im-
port.

Ehi Igumbor
mailto:ehiuche@yahoo.com