Malaria Consortium’s Dr. Madeleine Engages with Top Community Health Workers on eCHIS System in Uganda

During her visit to Uganda, Dr. Madeleine Marascuilo’Rice, a representative of the Malaria Consortium from the U.S., held an insightful discussion with award-winning Community Health Workers (CHWs) from Mpigi, Gomba, Buikwe, and Bukomansimbi Districts.

The engagement centered on the functionality and effectiveness of the electronic Community Health Information System (eCHIS)—a mobile and web-based tool revolutionizing community health data management and service delivery in Uganda.

Dr. Meddy Rutayisire, a medical officer with Uganda’s Ministry of Health, provided a comprehensive overview of eCHIS during a panel discussion.

“The eCHIS suite consists of mobile applications and a web-based monitoring portal that captures electronic data on our health extension program and other community-level services,” Dr. Rutayisire explained. “It not only enhances performance and health outcomes but also serves as a job aid for Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWs), enabling easy reporting, analytics, and tracking.”

Dr. Marascuilo’Rice’s visit aimed to gather feedback directly from the CHWs, who are the primary users of the system. Their insights are crucial for improving the eCHIS system, ensuring it meets the needs of communities, and addressing challenges they face in real-time data collection, client identification, and health service delivery.

The eCHIS system, introduced to facilitate household population registry, allows CHEWs to efficiently manage health interventions and enhance communication with health centers, leading to better tracking of health outcomes in their communities. The feedback collected from CHWs in Mpigi and surrounding districts will be instrumental in further refining the system.

Dr. Marascuilo’Rice praised the workers for their efforts and achievements, highlighting the importance of such digital tools in improving public health at the grassroots level. “These community health heroes are at the frontline of the fight against diseases like malaria. Their use of technology to save lives and improve health outcomes is truly inspiring,” she said.