A personal health record tool, the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) of the Wellbeing Foundation Africa has received a boost after the World Health Organsation (WHO), USAID, and World Bank recommended personal health record as critical component of a country’s health accountability systems.
In a statement by Mrs. Toyin Saraki, CEO, Wellbeing Foundation, the MNCH, which is designed for expectant mothers was an essential tool for ensuring effective delivery, evaluation and monitoring of sustainable healthcare strategies in the Nigerian health sector to meet the World Bank recommendation.
It “puts patient data in the hands of expectant mothers and gives women the capacity to take control of their health records and healthcare,” the statement said.
In the recently released roadmap for health measurement and accountability report, the WHO, USAID, and the World Bank affirmed the importance of personal health records which they consider as critical components of effective measurement and accountability systems.
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The roadmap, which articulates a shared strategic approach to support effective measurement for a country’s health programs, outlines smart investments that countries can adopt to strengthen basic measurement systems – such as the personal health record. According to the report, “client-held personal health records, especially for mothers and children, can build ownership of health information as well as consistency of data over time and across different facilities.”
“In addition to facilitating the systematic measurement of health data in Nigeria, this life-saving tool improves data capture and accountability, while empowering women with a documented record of their medical conditions; every stage in their pregnancy; and the life of their child for the first five years,” the Wellbeing Foundation said of its MNCH.
“As a vital audit tool, the personal health record can identify gaps in practice and improve quality of care. With this in mind, the Wellbeing Foundation Africa urges all development partners to work together to scale up the provision of the client-held personal health record as a matter of urgency and accountability – especially as the world transitions into the post-2015 development era.”
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