Countries: Cameroon
Project Dates: June 2018 – October 2018
MEASURE Evaluation/ICF International commissioned EVIHDAF to collate health management information system (HMIS) and routine malaria information system (RMIS) tools in Cameroon, assess their strengths and weaknesses, and identify factors that hinder or support high- quality data generation and use for decision making.
EVIHDAF was also tasked to document the current landscape of malaria surveillance, monitoring and evaluation, and identify challenges and priority areas for capacity strengthening.
EVIHDAF comprehensively captured the state of Cameroon’s malaria information system through interviews with key stakeholders at the central, regional and district levels. While Cameroon’s MIS has well- structured data at the central level dating back to 2011, high quality routine malaria data collection is hindered by understaffed health facilities, difficulty accurately filling out data collection forms by health facility staff, absence of data quality checks, and problems with internet connectivity and electricity, among others.
Recommendations include: allocate financial resources to scaling up training of data managers, organize data quality review meetings at the district and regional levels, supervise data transfer in the District Health Information System 2 (DHIS2) platform, provide computers and internet equipment to health facilities, incentivize data managers at health facilities, and fully integrate the work of all health actors contributing to DHIS2.
Cameroon’s Malaria Control Program (PNLP) supported the study.
A short summary of the assessment can be found here
