More efficient healthcare in Afghanistan through ICT

Innovative information systems and low-cost technology could give more efficient healthcare services in Afghanistan  – that was the message given by Karoline Beronius yesterday at a conference at Sida arranged by the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan and Sida. Keynote speaker Amirzai Sangin, Minister of Communication and Information Technology in Afghanistan, was very interested in the solutions developed by researchers from KI, KTH and Karolinska University Hospital.

Offering good healthcare to all citizens is often a problem in developing countries. Resources are scarce and many live in remote rural areas with few medical facilities. The lack of reliable data and statistics, transparency and checks and balances complicates efficient management of scarce resources. In Afghanistan, decades of fighting had left the country even worse off.  In recent years there has been a growing interest in the potential of e-health solutions.

During the last decade the situation in Afghanistan has changed dramatically. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has been recognised as a useful instrument for economic development and poverty reduction. This was the subject for the seminar organised by the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan and Sida.

Amirzai Sangin, Minister of Communication and Information Technology, was the Key note speaker. He outlined the rapid development of the ICT area in Afghanistan. In the late 90s, almost no modern IT facilities existed –not even telephony. Afghanistan recognises ICT as a tool for increasing the efficiency in governance and public health service deliver – correctly applied it improves planning, data management and communication.

“Today most people have a mobile phone, and about 90 % of the country is covered by networks. Many competing companies keep the costs low. Next step is to invest in fiber networks, and to introduce e-services focusing on democracy, human rights and health,” Amirzai Sangin explained,

Karoline Beronius, from Karolinska University Hospital, outlined the advantages of ICT supported healthcare processes, and presented a row of eHealth research projects and low-cost technology developed specifically for supporting healthcare service delivery in low- resources settings. Among the projects presented was the healthcare information management system - ICT4MPover. The IT infrastructure in Afghanistan is rolled out all over the country so the foundation is in place for successful implementation of eHealth solutions.

”There is a good window of opportunity to further strengthen the health service delivery and also to systematically extend services to those currently without access,” Karoline Beronius underlined.

ICT4MPower was first developed in cooperation with Ugandan Ministry of Health and Ministry of ICT, and the system has been implemented at a health center in Uganda and has been running for a first very successful year. ICT4MPower is based on Open Source and consist of different “modules”.

“There is a high potential in building on the developed solutions and customising the systems to the needs of Afghanistan. By supporting work processes and increasing control of scarce resources valuable, affordable and accessible healthcare services can be provided at the point of need,” Karoline Beronius says.