BETTEReHEALTH
Our objective is to inform eHealth policymaking towards better health outcomes through a bottom-up evidence-based holistic approach.
BETTEReHEALTH will set up four Regional Hubs based in Tunisia, Ghana, Ethiopia and Malawi, already endorsed by each country’s Ministry of Health. Each hub will organise coordination and networking activities (including two regional workshops) involving national and regional actors. We are planning actions to address three aspects related to successful e-health: human, technical and public policy factors. We will also organise two international networking events to promote the cooperation and networking between Europe and Africa.
BETTEReHEALTH will create open access registries by collecting information from African countries regarding eHealth policies and existing eHealth solutions. The registries will be used to identify best-practices and produce useful knowledge regarding eHealth implementation. The knowledge produced in registries, together with the input from the other activities will be synthesized into eHealth policy roadmaps and strategic implementation plans for better eHealth services for the four countries hosting Regional Hubs, but will also be of high relevance for other African countries.
BETTEReHEALTH will increase the level of international cooperation in eHealth, inform and strengthen end-user communities and policy makers in making the right decisions for the successful implementation of eHealth, and lead to increased opportunities for stakeholders in Africa and Europe with the overall aim of better health outcomes through better healthcare accessibility and higher quality.
Main objectives
Collect and Map
BETTEReHEALTH creates open, free and easy to access registries of existing eHealth solutions and eHealth policies on national and regional level in Africa, leading to better insights and understanding of the current state of eHealth implementation and available technology.
Identify and Support
BETTEReHEALTH identifies challenges and barriers at various levels for the successful deployment of eHealth and provides support for adequate and sustainable education, capacity building, technical infrastructure, interoperability of systems, standardization, legal frameworks, funding and financial aspects and national strategies.
Regional hubs
BETTEReHEALTH runs local and international networking activities such as webinars, workshops and meetings for relevant stakeholders to stimulate networking and knowledge sharing. The regional hubs will remain active beyond the project to support collaboration and eHealth implementation.
“Health services in developing countries can be improved by deploying robust eHealth systems; successful implementation of such systems will be possible through well-designed digital health implementation strategies. As the University of Gondar (UoG) is one of the most well-established research universities in Ethiopia, we joined this consortium in developing an effective e-health policy roadmap and implementation plan for East Africa and beyond. Our team who also led the development of Health Information exchange Standard and policy for the 55 member states of the African Union through Africa CDC, will work together with the country policymakers and partners to address the technical and policy factors towards implementing successful digital health technologies.”
Dr. Binyam Tilahun, VP for Research and Community Services of University of Gondar
BETTEReHEALTH Project Partner
“eHealth has the potential to positively influence the quality of care, and improve efficiency in a healthcare delivery service. In 2010 the Ministry of Health (MoH) Ghana, launched an eHealth strategy to chart a clear path for its adoption into the healthcare delivery system. The Ghana Health Service (GHS), the principal healthcare provider has since then, in lieu of this, implemented a number of policies aimed at improving healthcare delivery and access. However, significant human, technical and political factors have ethical relevance, and the potential of the country’s eHealth strategy cannot be fully realized without harmonizing these factors.
Despite the implementation efforts of e-Health in Ghana, there is much room for improvement with regards to its adoption and usage rates. This calls for an evaluation of the factors that affect an effective implementation process. The BETTEReHEALTH project plans to address the bottlenecks associated with an efficient implementation of eHealth technologies, by creating an open assess to eHealth policies and practices in four different African countries, namely: Ghana, Ethiopia, Tunisia and Malawi. This will create a network between them and their European counterparts, and thus help facilitate and develop a strategic roadmap for improving current eHealth services.”
Dr. Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, Director Institutional Care Division Ghana Health Service
BETTEReHEALTH Project Partner
