[afro-nets] RFI: How to establish a working HMIS in northern Nigeria (3)

["Emmanuel Otolorin" <eotolorin@jhpiego.net>]

RFI: How to establish a working HMIS in northern Nigeria (3)
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Hi Mohammed,

You have raised an important health systems issue in Northern Nigeria. As Country Director of a new program targeting pregnant women in the Northern States, I have just a few observations to make. 

1. There are national HMIS forms; they were recently revised but not printed.
2. Some international NGOs have printed some of the forms for distribution in their areas of operations
3. State Governments and LGAs do not always consider HMIS important enough to justify expenditure (e.g. for printing of data collection instruments)
4. Healthcare workers do not seem to appreciate the importance of data collection except when induced to do so (e.g. immunization)
5. Supervision of data collection is virtually non-existent (inadequate staffing, no transport or transport allowance, no feedback to facilities even when data is collected)
6. Collection of questionable data 

For an HMIS to function in the states you will need the cooperation of the government officials through adequate budgeting for HMIS, training and deployment of HMIS officers, orientation of health facility staff to importance of HMIS, supportive supervision of HMIS processes, provision of transport or transport allowances for HMIS data collection, coordination of all data collection by NGOS and other organizations for existing programs.

'Dipo

--
Emmanuel Otolorin
mailto:eotolorin@jhpiego.net