Digital Innovations Archives

5 Reasons Digital Innovations are Crucial for the Final Push to end Polio in Nigeria

Posted on October 22, 2024October 24, 2024 by Moshood Isah

It is August 2023, in a remote Nigerian village in Northern Nigeria. Children 5 years and below are on a queue waiting to be vaccinated against polio. At Least, 2,509,687 children have already benefited from the 18-day mass vaccination campaign to boost their immunity against Circulating Variant Poliovirus (cVPV2). (World Health Organization [WHO], 2023).

This raises an important question. If Nigeria was declared polio free in 2020, why do we still require polio vaccinations campaigns today? After years of collaborative efforts, significant progress was made in eliminating polio. However, the threat of circulating variant poliovirus (cVPV2) lingers, particularly in remote areas of Northern Nigeria. Efforts are being made to ensure that we see the end of this disease.

As Nigeria continues the journey towards finally eradicating polio, digital innovation has become a vital tool in ensuring the success of the country’s vaccination efforts. One of such innovative solutions is the integration of GIS tracking systems on eHealth Africa’s polio interventions. This revolutionary innovation has transformed how vaccination campaigns are planned, tracked, and executed.

A Ward focal person ties a box containing the vaccines he has received for the day as he get ready to begin his day’s work Bodinga LGA, Sokoto 13 December, 2023

A Ward focal person picking up tracking devices from the project field officer as they begin their day’s work Bodinga LGA, Sokoto 13 December, 2023

A child receives a FIPV vaccine in Kofan Kade, Mallam Dani’ma Quranic school, Sokoto north LGA Sokoto State. December 10, 2023

Here are five key reasons why digital innovation is the game-changer in Nigeria’s final push to end polio.

1. Every community is reached with accuracy

The foremost challenge in eradicating polio in Nigeria has been reaching remote and conflict-ridden areas where vaccination coverage is inconsistent. With difficult terrains, and insecurity, It is often nearly impossible to ensure that no child is left behind. With eHealth Africa’s GIS technology, teams are able to track and locate settlements in hard-to-reach areas with geo-coordinates of over 70% of settlements that were previously unmapped. This level of precision has allowed vaccination teams to better plan and ensure that no community is overlooked, increasing vaccination coverage rates. In 2023, the geo-coverage rate of vaccination activities tracked rose to 89%, representing a 6% increase over the previous quarter. This data-driven approach has been instrumental in reaching more than 1.4 million children in tracked settlements across the country.

2. Vaccination Campaigns are Monitored Real-time

One useful aspect of digital technology is its ability to provide real-time data and feedback. Vaccination campaigns can now be tracked in real time, allowing for immediate course corrections if any gaps are identified. The GIS technology has made it possible to track vaccination teams as they move from one settlement to another, providing health authorities with the data they need to ensure that every planned area is covered. With this technology during the vaccination campaign in April 2023 12,791 settlements across 56 LGAs in Katsina, Niger, Sokoto, and Zamfara, were reached, achieving an impressive 81% of the planned coverage. This real-time accountability has ensured that vaccine wastage is minimized, resources are optimally allocated, and the campaign’s impact is maximized.

3. Tailored Trainings for Vaccination Teams

Digital innovation not only improves logistical planning and monitoring but also equips health workers with the necessary tools and knowledge to enhance their effectiveness. With the GIS Intervention, eHealth Africa trained 107 individuals across five states—Katsina, Zamfara, Kebbi, Niger, and Sokoto—to effectively use digital tools and geospatial data to improve their vaccination outreach. These training efforts have empowered local teams and equipped health workers with the knowledge needed to adjust strategies on the go, to achieve more successful campaign outcomes.

4. Enhanced Micro Planning for Campaigns

Polio eradication requires meticulous planning, especially in regions where settlements are small, scattered, and often unmapped. Digital health tools have drastically improved micro planning by providing vaccination teams with up-to-date settlement data and templates to develop detailed vaccination plans. The Master List of Settlements (MLoS), regularly updated through digital tracking, serves as a comprehensive guide for teams in the field. This detailed approach has proven instrumental in increasing vaccination coverage in previously underserved areas, as seen in the 89% overall coverage rate achieved during the 2023 campaign, which targeted 4,861 settlements.

5. An Expandable Model for other Public Health Campaigns

The success of eHealth Africa’s GIS technology in Nigeria is proof that digital innovations can effectively address a wide range of other public health challenges. The systems, data infrastructure, and training models developed for polio eradication are not only efficient but also highly adaptable and can be applied to combat other diseases and public health emergencies.

The successful deployment of GIS technology by eHealth Africa in Nigeria is evidence that digital innovations can help in the solution of many other public health problems. The systems, data infrastructure, and training models developed for the polio eradication program are not only effective but also flexible enough to be used for other diseases and public health threats.

Through continued investment in these technologies, Nigeria is not only positioned to become polio-free but also to build a more robust and resilient healthcare system that will benefit generations to come.

eHealth Africa Pilots Digital Innovation to Boost Planning of Public Health Campaigns

Posted on August 28, 2024August 28, 2024 by Moshood Isah

By Moshood Isah

One of the key lessons from the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, according to the World Health Organization, is that countries with effective plans fared better than those without. This principle applies broadly to every vaccination campaign and public healthcare intervention. Thus, the consistent effort to reach every settlement across Nigeria with vaccination and general public health services seems to be an unending journey. While the conventional challenges, especially in Northern Nigeria, revolve around vaccine hesitancy and insecurity, experience also reveals that a lack of accurate data for planning and resource allocation may be impacting on vaccination and public health campaigns.

A recent conversation with primary healthcare workers in Northern Nigeria revealed that a lack of accurate data remains a major reason why it is increasingly difficult to reach every settlement with vaccination activities. Additionally, the complex nature of micro-planning contributes significantly to this challenge. These healthcare workers, consisting of Local Government Area (LGA) and Ward Focal Persons responsible for planning vaccinations, revealed that it takes up to six days to manually develop a micro plan for health campaigns. Despite these efforts, the plans remain vulnerable to human errors, resulting in varying degrees of inaccuracy.

*Primary healthcare workers and partners reviewing master list of settlement*

According to the World Health Organization, good data is crucial for mass-vaccination campaigns. Keeping it real-time and relevant requires the right software and systems. Recognizing that digitized data helps in planning and monitoring vaccination campaigns, eHealth Africa designed the Planfeld solution to enhance the planning of vaccination campaigns and ensure every child has access to the polio vaccine and other routine immunization services.

Kicking off the Planfeld pilot workshop in Kaduna State, eHealth Africa’s Program Manager, Abubakar Shehu, and his team introduced the innovative application to primary healthcare workers and stakeholders. The demonstration showcased how Planfeld can streamline the creation of accurate micro plans and monitor vaccination activities more efficiently.

During the workshop, Abubakar explained, “The Planfeld application will allow us to know the exact number of settlements we are targeting, the number of children in those areas, and the amount of vaccine required for the activity. Previously, developing a micro plan manually, especially for polio vaccination, took at least four days. Now, with this digital tool, it takes less than 30 minutes.”

He further emphasized that digitizing micro-planning will ensure that more settlements are reached with essential public health interventions. The pilot workshop, according to him, is being conducted in Kaduna, Niger, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, and Zamfara states. While appreciating the National and State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (N/SPHCDA), he said the organization looks forward to comments and feedback on how to further optimize the Planfeld solution to revolutionize the planning and execution of vaccination efforts.

Dr. Abdullahi Musa Garba, the Incident Manager of the Polio Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at the Kaduna State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (SPHCDA), expressed optimism about the successful deployment of the Planfeld application in the state. He highlighted that the digitization process would significantly improve accuracy in immunization efforts for polio and other diseases, minimizing errors that were common with manual micro-planning.

“Manual micro-planning is a difficult and error-prone process,” Dr. Garba explained. “With the deployment of the digitized micro plan, the work will become much easier for the teams managing immunization.”

Mr. Victor Obagunlu Adeleke, the Kaduna State team lead for polio outbreak intervention with the SOLINA Center for International Development and Research, emphasized the time-saving benefits and improved resource allocation that come with micro-plan digitization. “The significant reduction in time and energy spent on developing the micro-plan, coupled with the fact that it’s not a capital-intensive project, makes it a much easier process,” he explained.

*Primary Healthcare workers reviewing master list of settlement*

He further highlighted that the traditional micro-plan development process—from the settlement to the ward, then to the Local Government Areas , and finally the state—requires considerable time to aggregate data across these levels. “With digitization, however, real-time analysis becomes possible,” Mr. Adeleke noted. “You can monitor data entry from the settlement or ward level and receive immediate feedback even at the state level.”

Microplanning is critically essential in the health sector. Thus, digitization of micro plans will enhance the capacity of the State and LGA team, facilitate a sustainable geodataba

Advancing Public Healthcare with Digital Innovations: Lessons from Insights Learning Forum 2024

Posted on August 8, 2024August 22, 2024 by Moshood Isah

– By Moshood Isah

In recent times, the focus of conversations in digital health forums has increasingly centered around optimizing and integrating existing solutions to enhance surveillance, preparedness, and impact. This is not unconnected to the fact that the world and especially the African region has endured a series of public health emergencies and disease outbreaks which required urgent responses.

The World Health Organization also echoed that the 21st century health challenges like the pandemic have further accelerated the use of digital health interventions, including hotlines, online assistance, mobile phone applications and many more. These innovations have shown potential in reducing the interruption of Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and mental health services, making it necessary to continue scaling up digital health technology.

*Panelists at the Insights Learning Forum 2024*

Health stakeholders have consistently taken intentional steps to stimulate ideas and expand advocacy to improve the impact of these solutions, especially when it comes to disease surveillance. One such conversation is the Insights Learning Forum (ILF 2024) hosted by eHealth Africa with the theme; “Digital Transformation in public Health practice: Innovations and Impact”.

Reflecting on the theme of this event, the Deputy Director of Partnerships and Programs Dr. David Akpan raised critical questions on the perceived values and the role of stakeholders in ensuring digital innovation to thrive in public health. He also raised concerns around the investment being made to promote digital innovation and the impact criteria investors are focusing on. He emphasized, “we want to do this because we want to make that grandmother and other persons in the rural community have access to quality healthcare. It’s what they call equitable access that removes all barriers”. To achieve this, “you need to do the human-centered design approach, which takes the people into consideration when you’re developing any form of innovation”, he stated. Thus he called for the need to document diverse salients points and outcomes from various digital health forums for the purpose of effective advocacy.

Speaking during the event, eHealth Africa’s Director of Partnerships and Programs Ota Akhigbe said, the event is beyond a conversation on digital innovations but a platform to advocate for a unified approach to digital transformation, emphasizing the importance of integrity in data usage. She revealed that, “The ILF serves as an advocacy tool to raise awareness and engage government agencies, ensuring that these innovations receive the necessary support and funding”. According to Ota, this collaborative approach between the private sector and government agencies is vital for the successful implementation of digital health solutions.

She lauded the positive body language of Government at all levels to support and advance digital innovation in primary healthcare. This, according to her, is why the Insights Learning Forum is an opportunity for the stakeholders to communicate their needs and expectations to government representatives, ensuring that policies are aligned with the sector’s evolving needs.

Speaking on why it’s vital for the government to continuously support digital innovations in health sector, Incident Manager, Polio Emergency Operation Center in Katsina state Dr Kabir Sulaiman said, It is very important for us to know that, we need to embrace this era of digital technology that is currently transforming the paper based routine to electronic database. According to the Incident Manager, “Digital innovations will support the strengthening of health systems because some of these digital tools are currently being used in Nigeria.” For instance, “the Surveillance Outbreak Response and Analysis System (SORMAS), which was deployed to the state for reporting priority diseases, has brought about transformation in terms of real-time data and decision-making. So, when you look at the importance, you know there is a lot that we are going to benefit from this technology,” he reiterated.

Through a diverse array of plenary sessions, panel discussions, and track sessions, the Insights Learning Forum 2024, empowered individuals, groups, and organizations to harness digital technologies to address emerging challenges and drive positive change in public health systems in Africa.

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