Category: Policies & Practices
My early memories led to a life serving others
Aug 17, 2016
My most vivid memories of my early childhood are twofold: lying on a hospital bed with my legs in the air, and watching my younger brother draw his last breath as a result of severe hot water burns he suffered during his hospitalization in what was then Northern Rhodesia. According to my parents, I should not have remembered these instances as I was less than five years old at the time, but these memories remain crystal clear.
Read MoreMy Reflections: Melinda Gates Visits the BID Initiative
Jul 25, 2016
When the BID Initiative asked if I could travel to Dar es Salaam to demonstrate Tanzania’s electronic immunization registry for Melinda Gates, I was nervous and happy at the same time – happy that I would meet Melinda, but nervous to speak to her. I was confident in what I was supposed to do since my health facility, Mareu Health Facility in Arusha region Tanzania, was one of six facilities that tested BID Initiative solutions. We’ve now been using it for over a year.
Read MoreLearning Fast, Moving Ahead
Jul 11, 2016
Last year, the BID Initiative began the implementation phase in Arusha City district in Tanzania, rolling out BID solutions to 48 immunization health facilities — 33 facilities using the new electronic immunization registry and 14 low-volume facilities using the simplified paper version.
Read MoreBID Initiative April 2015–March 2016 Annual Report
May 5, 2016
We recently wrapped year three for the BID Initiative! Our annual report is now available detailing our progress over the year and looking ahead at what’s in store for BID’s fourth year. With rollout underway in Tanzania and soon to start in Zambia, members at all levels of the health system are one step closer to realizing and leveraging the benefits of data collection and use to make better decisions in providing health services and reaching more children.
Read MoreUsing Better Data to Protect More Kids
Apr 25, 2016
Did we vaccinate all the children we intended to this month? How many children do we expect next month and will we have enough vaccine supply in stock? How are we performing in terms of service provision?
Read MoreVideo: Better Data. Better Decisions. Better Health
Apr 14, 2016
We are excited to share our first video in a four-part series! Told from the perspective of the health workers currently using BID solutions in Arusha Region Tanzania, we created these videos to provide an inside look at the BID Initiative on the ground.
Read MoreGuiding the way to better data
Apr 11, 2016
Zambia has many challenges that affect health service delivery. One such challenge is the availability of quality data to make decisions. The Ministry of Health (MOH) recognized the need to collect information from health facilities and developed several reporting tools such as the Health Management Information System (HMIS), which captures various indicators across all health areas.
Read MoreBalancing Low & High Tech Solutions
Mar 30, 2016
The BID Initiative is not a technology project. From the beginning, we have stressed this important point among our global partners, country governments and with health workers. But why is this so paramount in our approach?
Read MoreInvesting in Tanzania and Zambia
Mar 24, 2016
As we officially start the second half of our BID Initiative grant, we took some time to reflect on our accomplishments to date as well as the challenges we’ve faced and the lessons we’ve learned. Over the last year, we’ve made incredible progress in designing, testing and rolling out interventions.
Read MoreUAG Tests the Immunization Registry in Zambia
Mar 17, 2016
All software developers know that for a system to be truly useful, it must be accepted by the users. In February, after months of development, the BID Initiative Zambia hit the road for the first ever user testing with the User Advisory Group (UAG) to get a sense of how the immunization registry performed with the people who will actually be using it.
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