Title:
Review of the Malawi Health Information System During Public Health Emergencies Using Covid-19 as a Case Study
Authors:
Mwalwanda, Catherine Twalondagha
Place:
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Publisher:
KIT - Royal Tropical Institute [etc.]
Year:
2022
PAGE:
ix, 39
Language:
En
Subject:
Health and Poverty
Keywords:
COVID-19, Malawi, Health Information System, Knowledge Management, Health Systems
Abstract:
INTRODUCTION Malawi is a Lower-Middle Income Country. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the health system, leading to lost milestones towards UHC. To fight COVID-19 and future public health emergencies, the health system needs a strong HIS to help the system in managing public health emergencies better. Hence the need to review the Malawi HIS to identify its effectiveness in supporting knowledge management during public health emergencies. METHODOLOGY The SANRA guided the quality of the narrative review. The WHO HMN framework was used to describe the general components of the HIS, and the HI-Impact framework to holistically assess the HIS. The search terms included COVID-19, “health information”, availability, Malawi, combined using AND or OR, in the VU library which is linked to PubMed. Grey literature was also included. RESULTS Several cadres are involved in data collection at community and facility levels. The lack of resources and logistical challenges due to the utilisation of paper-based forms affects the quality of generated health data. The system was responsive in the wake of the pandemic in generating data and disseminating information. Adjustments were made in DHIS2 to facilitate easier data sharing between sub-systems. Among other factors, the utilisation of evidence was affected by the socio-political environment and lack of access to data for research purposes. DISCUSSION The Malawi HIS needs detailed analysis to identify and improve gaps in knowledge generation. The MoH should facilitate the use of health data for decision-making by building the capacity of the system and facilitating data sharing and re-use.
Organization:
KIT - Royal Tropical Institute , VU - Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Institute:
KIT (Royal Tropical Institute)
Country:
Malawi
Region:
Southeastern Africa
Training:
Master in International Health
Category:
Research
Right:
@ 2022 Mwalwanda
Document type:
Thesis/dissertation
File:
FKIDBL5Pk9_20230509154344917.pdf