The status of health management and information management in the mozambican health districts: overview and preliminary findings / The status of health management and information management in the mozambican health districts: overview and preliminary findings

ABSTRACT

An old tradition in the Mozambican health system is the appointment of doctors to perform both clinical and managerial tasks in the health districts. As a consequence, a paradox embedded with conflict and potential arises when we take into account the often neglected but essential role of the districts in the health information system and the diverging perspectives of medical duty and management responsibility. Although doctors might be comfortable with clinical data, there might be problems with the collection and use of health managerial information therefore putting at stake the critical role of the health sector in the larger socio-economical development of the country. In addition, with the health sector reform and the deployment of ICT, news forms of pressure and intensification are brought to the paradox. In this paper we provide a descriptive and analytical account of the relationship between health management and health information in the typical Mozambican health district. The place of information as a tool for health management and as an indicator of the doctor's personal interest and involvement with the district setting is also discussed