HMIS: Is it Tailored to Monitoring the Health Sector Strategic Plan?

ABSTRACT

Modern public health practice requires good and reliable information systems. The functions of the systems include rapid reporting of notifiable diseases; dissemination of information; outbreak investigation; provision of information on magnitude of health events; monitoring risk factors and disease trends. These constitute most of the public surveillance systems (PHS). PHS systems are an extension of the principles and technicques of disease surveillance (Langmuir 1963). They consist of on-going collection; analysis; interpretation or outcome-specific public health data; so as to plan; set targets and evaluate healh programs and interventions (Thacker and Berkelman; 1989). However; modern public health practice also involves collection of information on distribution of resources; utilisation of logistics and finances as well as one time studies to answer specific public health questions. These are the domains of public health and they may lack some critical elements of public surveillance systems. For instance; they may not focus on specific outcomes; and may not be on going (e.g. a one time very informative study/survey). World-wide; information systems have been transformed into an important element in the process of decision making for all sectors. Health Management Information Systems (HMIS) are basic elements for the management process of public health activities. However; for HMIS to function fully there is need to integrate data from different sources. Secondly; data should be analysed and interpretted so that recommendations are made to improve the performance of health services. An important principle of the HMIS is that information must be transformed into actions at all levels. It therefore requires adequate capacity for collection; analysis; interpretation and use of the information that the system generates. The techniques of information collection; storage; recovery and dissemination could be paper based or computer based. However; whichever system is in operation; information management systems are required at all stages of the planning cycle; and action must be the main goal