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Healthcare professionals in Eastern region introduced to P4H Platform (www.people4health.org)

P4H NEW

The online platform built by Penplusbytes under the USAID funded “People for Health” (P4H) project (www.people4health.org ) will be deployed to five (5) districts in the Eastern region from the 6th to the 10th of November 2017.

Penplusbytes, the lead ICT organization in the P4H project consortium, is embarking on the dashboard deployment which will involve an orientation session for technology champions within the project districts. Two persons including one focal person and a representative from the District Health Monitoring Team in each district will be given authorization to have direct access to citizens’ reports and will be taken through how to respond to comments, complaints and observations from patients emanating from their respective districts. They will also be educated on how to aggregate and develop insights from citizens’ reports  to be escalated to appropriate authorities for action using innovative technological means.

www.people4health.org is developed on Penplusbytes “Kakum” citizen engagement resource tool and is intended to facilitate citizens’ access to health information especially the Patients’ Charter and provide an avenue for citizens to report their experiences in accessing healthcare.

The interactive platform purposely built for the P4H project is mainly to provide and share information on maternal and child health/family planning, malaria, water, sanitation and hygiene, nutrition and HIV/AIDS health service delivery at the district, regional and national levels. It is also to provide a non-human interface means of reporting cases of stigmatization and discrimination in receiving proper health care especially among key populations and people living with HIV/AIDS.

The Eastern Regional deployment exercise is a follow-up of a similar deployment undertaken by Penplusbytes in October in the Northern Region with sensitization meetings amongst  stakeholders such as the District Citizens Monitoring Committees (DCMCs) in each district (Afram Plains North, Birim South, New Juabeng, Akuapem North and Lower Manya Krobo), health service providers, District Health Monitoring Teams among others.

Some health facilities in each project district will also be visited and health workers educated on how the dashboard works. Flyers and posters will then be shared and displayed at vantage points within the facilities which will serve as a guide on how citizens can access the digital platform.

According to the Executive Director of Penplusbytes, Kwami Ahiabenu II, “The Northern Regional Deployment was successful and we hope to build on the experience with this one. Health facilities and professionals have particularly been very receptive of the digital tool despite contrary views of Ghanaians’ attitude to technological change. We hope same for this exercise.”

All project districts in the four regions (Northern, Eastern, Greater Accra and Volta regions) are expected to benefit from the deployment exercise before close of year.

The 5-year USAID “People for Health (P4H)” Project is being implemented by the SEND-Ghana, Penplusbytes and Ghana News Agency consortium in 20 districts in four regions of Ghana. The project seeks to strengthen organisational and institutional capacities of government and  civil  society  organisations  (CSOs)  for  mutual  accountability  in  health,  HIV,  water, sanitation and hygiene, family planning and nutrition policy formulation and implementation.

About

Penplusbytes is a not-for-profit organization driving change through innovations in three key areas: using new digital technologies to enable good governance and accountability, new media and innovations, and driving oversight for effective utilisation of mining, oil and gas revenue and resources.