Mauritian health authorities will soon implement the District Hospital Information Software 2 (DHIS2) and the Integrated Disease Surveillance Response (IDSR) projects. The DHIS2 is an open source, web-based platform, developed by the University of Oslo, and is most commonly used as a health management information system.
The projects are being carried out in Mauritius with the support of the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC), under the SEGA (Epidemic Surveillance and Alert Management) – One Health initiative, and with the assistance of the World Health Organisation (WHO).
While the IOC provided some 80 digital tablets to health personnel in the context of the projects, the WHO is assisting the Ministry of Health and Wellness in terms of the software and related training.
Speaking on the projects, Health Minister Kailesh Jagutpal said that “extensive progress” has been made in the implementation of the E-health project for which the request for proposal.
“In the meantime, my Ministry has already started to make use of digital solutions in health management,” he affirmed.
Speaking of the DHIS2, Dr Jagutpal explained how the software would allow health information collected at community level to be centralised in a main data centre.
He indicated that the database collected would consequently offer a comprehensive picture of the population’s health status and pave the way for an efficient and timely Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response.
He added that such data would enable the evaluation of current health trends, the devising of further appropriate strategies, and an adequate allocation of budget.
The DHIS2 is reportedly already being used in certain areas of the health system, namely to catalogue cases of adverse effects following immunisation in the COVID-19 vaccination campaign, and to update patient information for HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C.
The software is expected to be used, in the future, at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Dr Bruno Cheong Hospital, for cleft palate cases and in harm reduction endeavours.
