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A snapshot of this year’s BLN Discussion Meeting

By Reuben Mwanza, Systems Implementation Specialist, BID Initiative Zambia

Dec 15, 2017

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During the BID Learning Network (BLN) Discussion Meeting held in Lusaka, Zambia between September 19 and 22, more than 12 country delegates and stakeholders convened from across seventeen countries. Participants heard from various countries about their progress toward implementing electronic health systems and visited health facilities implementing Zambia’s Electronic Immunization Registry (ZEIR).

“I have learned a great deal from the BLN meetings, the webinars and the Google Group. It’s been incredible to learn from a country like The Gambia, which is much smaller than Nigeria,” said Suleiman Etamesor of Nigeria’s Ministry of Health. “In this platform, we’ve seen that for what you want to do, someone has done [it] before, so don’t re-invent, but adapt [that solution] to your reality and country. The information exchange in the network and at this meeting is incredible.”

Photo: PATH/Reuben Mwanza. BID Initiative staff and BLN delegates pose for a group photo at this year’s discussion meeting. The four-day affair allows participants to share their own experiences implementing data quality and data use interventions, exchange best practices, and apply these learnings within their own countries and health systems.

Photo: PATH/Reuben Mwanza. BID Global Director Laurie Werner awards Dr. Boris Bleou from Cote d’Ivoire with an award for the best poster presentation on his work integrating an early warning system into the DHIS2.

Photo: PATH/Reuben Mwanza. BLN participants took part in a number of presentations and panel discussions during this year’s meeting. They ranged from a discussion about The Gambia’s web-based immunization registry, to a panel about change management for the improvement of health information systems. Above, Andre Lesa sits with colleagues. He is the lead at BlueCode, the software development company working with Ona to support the rollout of data quality and data use interventions in Southern Province.

Photo: PATH/Reuben Mwanza. BID staff and delegates pose between sessions. From left to right Masaina Bwakya, Change Management Associate for the BID Initiative, Calvin Tonga from Cameroon, and Mwaka Mutukwa, Senior Program Assistant for the BID Initiative.

Photo: PATH/Reuben Mwanza. BLN participants also took part in field visits to Mazabuka. This gave participants the opportunity to see ZEIR demonstrated, and to hear from health workers about the impacts of data quality and data use interventions.

You can view the presentations for the meeting and stay tuned for the meeting report available soon.

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