UPM-NTHC facilitates rapporteur sessions at Asia Pacific Leadership Forum on Health Information Systems

July 25, 2011 9:43 am | by Pura Angela Wee, MD | Posted in News

MANILA, Philippines-UP Manila National Telehealth Center (UPM-NTHC) facilitated rapporteur sessions in the Asia Pacific Leadership Forum on Health Information Systems (HIS) at the Western Pacific Regional Office-World Health Organization (WPRO-WHO)  last June 13-16. The forum aims to strengthen and accelerate country-owned and country-led strategies for managing health information systems. Delegates from nine developing countries in Asia participated the event.

The forum is the third of its kind having had been organized in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and Windhoek, Nambia.

UPM-NTHC was commissioned to facilitate rapporteur sessions in the forum having been the forefront of using technology for improving health care and HIS in the Philippines.

The forum brought together multi-ministerial teams to develop plans for national health information systems in countries such as Bangladesh, Cambodia, Fiji, Indonesia, Laos, Mongolia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.

UPM-NTHC, facilitated small group discussions for the country delegates to develop action plans for their respective health information system.During the forum, organizers follow-up, monitor progress, and provide assistance in drafting their action plans for their HIS.

15 funding agencies and donors commit to improve national health information systems participated in the event. Altogether, they commit to:

• enhance networking by improving the HIS forum website and building partner profiles for support;
• collaborate and coordinate with donors and partners by regularly sharing information on its developments; and
• strengthen for technical assistance

Representatives from the Department of Health (DOH), Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), Department of Science and Technology Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), National Computer Center (NCC), National Statistics Office (NSO) and SMART Communications were also present in the forum.

Among the funding agencies and donors who participated in the event were

• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
• Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)
• Health Metrics Network (HMN),  International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
• International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
• Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
• Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD)
• President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)
• The Rockefeller Foundation (collaborating partner)
• The Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC)
• United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID)
• University of Queensland, School of Population Health
• U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
• US Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
• World Health Organization (WHO)
• World Bank Group

The event is organized by The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the WPRO-WHO in coordination with the Philippines Department of Health (DoH)