The EU-funded project “Health Management Information System in Tajikistan - Phase IV” is hosting its last Steering Committee meeting today at Asia Grand Hotel in Dushanbe to assess its implementation achievements.

According to the EU Delegation to Tajikistan, the project has focused on four major results: Development of Health Management Information System, based on the DHIS2 software; Support to elaboration of Annual Statistical Reports; Improvement of data quality, training of statisticians and health managers; Updating of website of the Republican Centre of Medical Statistics and Information.

The Health Management Information System, based on the DHIS2 software, has been fully functional since the beginning of the project.  The DHIS2 system and servers uptime exceeded 98-99%. 15 important technical issues, relates to system improvement, have been solved.  Technical assistance has been provided to users in all regions, and over 750 requests for technical assistance have been solved.

The DHIS2 system is used in all districts of the Republic of Tajikistan, at the level of District Health Centers and Central District Hospitals, city and regional Centers of Medical Statistics and Information of Health Directorates, Republican Center for Medical Statistics and Information, and republican health institutions.

The Annual Statistical Report 2016 has been improved and published.  For the first time, the "Teaching and Methodical Manual on Analysis of Population Health and Activity of Health Institutions" for managers of health institutions and statisticians has been elaborated and published.  The Annual Statistical Reports, produced by the Republican Centre of Medical Statistics and Information are used to monitor the results of implementation of the National Health Strategy 2010 – 2020 by the state institutions of the Republic of Tajikistan and by international development partners.

Data quality has been improved by implementation of 15 new automatic data validation rules, and review of over 1,000 existing ones.  The essential elements of the data quality management system have been defined and piloted. 70 health system managers and 70 statisticians have been trained in data quality and utilization, and evidence-based decision-making.  The improved quality management system and the increased human potential of health institutions contribute to evidence-based decision-making and more efficient utilization of health system resources.

The website of the Republican Center of Medical Statistics and Information, www.medstat.tj has been updated. The project implementation experience has been shared on the http://capacity4dev.ec.europa.eu/ platform.  The website is used to disseminate the latest documents and statistical data to health system managers, statisticians, state organizations of Tajikistan, and international development partners.

The implementation started in January 2017, and will be completed in April, 2018.  The project is a logical continuation of efforts of the European Union on development of Health Management Information System in Tajikistan, undertaken since 2008 with a total budget of around 4.5 million euros.  The project is implemented by EPOS Health Management (Germany).

The European Union has undertaken to support the health sector reform in Tajikistan and for the period of 2014-2020 it has foreseen to commit 57 million euros.