Press Release

Launch of the Human Resource for Health Information System

KAMPALA -- U.S. Mission Uganda and the Uganda Ministry of Health will launch the Human Resource for Health Information System (HRHIS) at Hotel Africana in Kampala at 2 p.m. today.  This open-source technology provides reliable, up-to-date information on the number and distribution of health workers across the government, corporate, private and non-profit sectors.

The HRHIS was developed at the request of the Ministry of Health to link a variety of independent sources of health workforce data to ensure decision-makers have the tools they need to address the human resource problems of the Ugandan health sector.  The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) supported the design along with their partners, Intrahealth and Baylor College of Medicine, respectively. The database has been installed in 15 hospitals, 69 District Health Offices, the Ministry of Health Headquarters, and four Health Professional Councils.  

Under President Obama's Global Health Initiative, the American people invested $580,000 in the HRHIS to improve national workforce management, particularly training, recruitment, retention, and deployment. Previously, health professionals relied on hand-processed paper records to get information that was mostly fragmented, unreliable and time-consuming. This automated database will enable policymakers to define cost-effective human resource strategies, and help managers identify workforce gaps in geographical areas, migration patterns, and improve training.

The Human Resource for Health Information System will improve the equitable distribution of health care workers across the country, so that all Ugandans can have better access to quality health care services. The Government of Uganda thanks the American people for this support, which is just part of the over $400 million contribution they will make to the Ugandan health sector this year. 

For details, please contact:
Permanent Secretary Ministry of Health
+256 414 340 872
ps@health.go.ug

Nanyonga Dorothy, Information Assistant,
U.S. Mission Uganda
Tel: +256-414-250-314x6104Cell: +077222-14-12, 0784846334
Email:NanyongaDx@state.gov