ICAP in Ethiopia is making strides in digital health.

Through its Growing e-health Expertise Knowledge and Skills (GEEKS) project, ICAP is training the next generation of digital health experts to develop and customize state-of-the-art health surveillance systems for improved management of HIV, measles, and other critical health challenges.

Supported by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Global Immunization Division (GID), ICAP launched the GEEKS project in Addis Ababa in 2021. Over a three-year period, the program has trained over 150 professionals, including data managers, health workers, digital health system experts, software developers, immunization focal persons, and public health emergency officers on digital project management, and development, enhancement, and customization of health information systems.

GEEKS trainees have already made progress transforming health systems, innovating digital solutions that will significantly enhance health care services at the local level. One of those achievements is customization of the District Health Information System 2 (DHIS2) – a digital health data system – in which GEEKS fellows tailored the tool for HIV data monitoring and local needs. While the Addis Ababa City Administration Health Bureau had originally designed the DHIS2 application to address data quality challenges at health facilities across Addis Ababa, there were delays in data timeliness and inconsistencies between recorded and reported data. The GEEKS fellows assessed the needs of end-users, tailoring the tool to more efficiently monitor HIV data.

Additionally, the GEEKS fellows developed a national Power BI dashboard – a digital data visualization platform – to improve measles surveillance and response within Ethiopia’s public health emergency management system. Previously, it was a major challenge that measles data, including measles case reports, vaccination data, and outbreak reports, were not standardized across health facilities. The GEEKS program developed a centrally implemented system serving all regional health bureaus, providing real-team access to key indicators such as measles morbidity and mortality by age and geographic location. As of May 2024, 27 bulletins had been produced from the dashboard and shared weekly with stakeholders, significantly improving the decision-making capabilities of the Ministry of Health and its partners.

GEEKS fellows

GEEKS fellow

Through creation of the e-DISQ application, a mobile-based vaccination tracking system, the GEEKS project has reduced immunization defaulters by sending digital reminders to caregivers in selected health facilities of the East Shoa Zone of Oromia region. In February 2024, for example, 318 children under two years of age were registered for Penta 1 vaccination – which covers diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, hepatitis B, and haemophilus influenzae type B – and 142 children were expected for Penta 2 vaccination in March 2024. Reminder messages were sent to the caregivers of these 142 children, resulting in 106 children attending on the appointment date, 24 attending within seven days after the appointment, and 10 attending more than seven days after the appointment, with only two children registered as defaulters.

GEEKS fellows are also working to enhance pandemic preparedness and emergency response by integrating human resource management into disease outbreak management systems. Previously, health teams relied on outdated Excel spreadsheets and paper-based methods to keep track of human resource roster data, affecting emergency response rates. GEEKS fellows are currently establishing a digital system that will organize volunteers, pre-selected and trained individuals, and multi-sectoral experts for emergency situations. This system will make human resource data readily available to regional health decision-makers, significantly reducing the time required for deployment during a crisis.

“GEEKS has bridged gaps between data managers, health care workers, and digital health developers through training programs and apprenticeship services,” said Asnake Wakjira, management chief executive officer at the Ministry of Health.

“Through implementing the GEEKS project, we have worked to enhance the health workforce’s capacity in using informatics for decision-making and fostered a community of practice that shares best e-health practices across the health sectors in the country,” said Sileshi Lulseged, strategic information lead at ICAP in Ethiopia.

GEEKS review meeting

At a recent GEEKS review meeting in June 2024, development partners, funding agencies, stakeholders, and GEEKS fellows gathered to share the project’s exemplary results and valuable lessons worth replicating across health programs. At the meeting, Tadesse Wuhib, a member of the CDC informatics team, stressed the importance of creating a sustainable digital health workforce to address Ethiopia’s health sector challenges – commending the GEEKS project for strengthening the existing workforce capacity and reiterating CDC’s commitment to supporting the Ministry of Health in advancing e-health solutions in the future.

ICAP in Ethiopia plans to scale the GEEKS initiative to additional regional states and will enroll 50 additional fellows in 2025.

About ICAP

A major global health organization that has been improving public health in countries around the world for two decades, ICAP works to transform the health of populations through innovation, science, and global collaboration. Based at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, ICAP has projects in more than 40 countries, working side-by-side with ministries of health and local governmental, non-governmental, academic, and community partners to confront some of the world’s greatest health challenges. Through evidence-informed programs, meaningful research, tailored technical assistance, effective training and education programs, and rigorous surveillance to measure and evaluate the impact of public health interventions, ICAP aims to realize a global vision of healthy people, empowered communities, and thriving societies. Online at icap.columbia.edu