By Kuda Pembere
Government is working on introducing digital health IDs and health cards, a digitization strategy to track patients easily as well as a digital health payment system.
This was said by Health and Child Care Dr Douglas Mombeshora while officiating a Digital Health Indaba in Harare on Thursday.
Having created the Impilo Electronic Health System, the Health Ministry’s flagship multifaceted digital tool, they are planning to enhance all digital systems.
We are expanding digital health systems to all regions, introducing the individual health ID and health card with biometric identification for better patient tracking and ensuring that every health facility is digitally equipped by 2025,” he said.
He added that they are also embracing technologies such as geospatial mapping and drones.
“These innovations will help us pinpoint resource needs, track disease trends with precision and improve emergency responses. Drones, in particular, will enable the efficient delivery of medical supplies, vaccines and test samples to remote and hard-to-reach areas, ensuring no community is left without critical care.
“We are also developing a health payments platform to simplify transactions and promote financial inclusivity, making it easier for patients to access health care without financial strain,” he said.
He noted that connectivity challenges and power outages are a hindrance to a smooth roll out of a digitized health system.
“Yet we must also acknowledge the challenges we face. Infrastructure limitations, including inconsistent internet connectivity and power supply, remain as barriers. Human resource capacity needs strengthening and adequate funding is essential for sustaining these initiatives.
“Data governance remains a critical concern as we strive to protect patient information while enabling secure data sharing across systems. We are not sitting idle in the face of these challenges.
“Through partnerships with the Minister of ICT, we are working to improve connectivity and exploring innovative solutions like satellite internet and reliable power backup systems,” the Health Minister said.
ICT and Postal Services Minister Dr Tendai Mavetera said data protection was important in the field of health informatics.
“I know very well as the Minister of ICT, two, three weeks ago, we published SI 155, which concentrates on issues to do with us protecting the data subjects data. So it is important that as we are going towards this, we also work towards us making sure that we provide for a place, especially for the Minister of Health, a place where they can then be able to also store their data. Let me also applaud all tech players, which have also come here to say, here’s the opportunity for us,” she said. “Let’s take it upon ourselves. Let’s provide for connectivity, which is also fast and also affordable. This is where the world is going to.”
Higher and Tertiary Education, Science, Innovation Science and Development Minister Fredrick Shava said construction of the quinary health facility by the University of Zimbabwe will be complete soon.
“The University of Zimbabwe is currently establishing a quinary hospital. We are building that along Mazowe Road and it will soon be complete. And we hope that again we’ll have researchers in the medical field housed in this quinary hospital and we also hope that specialization in cancer treatment will be pursued vigorously by this institution,” he said.
Director health informatics in the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Dr Simukai Zizhou said they have various information management systems under the Impilo which include the electronic logistics management and information systems, laboratory information management system, DHIS2, Goal Data, RapidPro.
“The Zimbabwe Health Information Exchange is a baby that is coming on board very soon, and in terms of the health information exchange, we collect data, for example, of deaths. We also collect information on deaths.
“We should be able to interact with civil registry for vital statistics at the registrar general’s office by giving an electronic birth confirmation, as well as issuing out an electronic death certificate, so that they can actually issue out the final death certificate,” he said.
