The Story
In Uganda, community health depends on Village Health Teams (VHTs); volunteers who diagnose, treat, and refer to common illnesses like malaria and pneumonia. Yet their critical work was hampered by paper-based registers and fragmented systems. Hours spent filling forms often produced delayed or lost data, leaving supervisors blind to ground realities. The consequences were devastating: high child mortality, frequent stock-outs, and frustrated caregivers walking long distances for care that often wasn’t available. Uganda’s health system needed transformation, not mere digitization.
The Execution
The project unfolded through a full Human-Centered Design cycle. Over four months, a baseline assessment in four West Nile districts engaged 40 VHTs, 8 focus groups, 20 district officers, 16 facility staff, and 8 caregivers revealing key challenges namely: stock shortages, double reporting, limited supervision visibility, and caregiver mistrust when services were delayed.
From these insights, personas including Village Health Teams (VHTs), supervisor, district officer, and caregiver were developed, with user stories mapping pain points and desired improvements. Co-design workshops generated ideas such as automated task lists, stock reporting modules, and hierarchical dashboards, ensuring alignment with national indicators.
A prototype built on the Community Health Toolkit integrated maternal, child health, and stock management features with role-based access. Testing with VHTs and supervisors highlighted navigation issues, leading to streamlined workflows and offline capability. Iterative learning refined the tool ensuring that reminders matched local disease peaks, and supervisors gained concise exception reports for faster decision-making.
The Evidence
Adoption rates were high because VHTs felt ownership. Supervisors reported faster, cleaner data flow. The Ministry recognized that eCHIS not only improved reporting but also built frontline accountability.
The Result
Human impact: VHTs reported reduced paperwork and increased motivation. “Now my work is seen,” one VHT shared, noting that supervisors acknowledged their contributions more frequently. Caregivers trusted services more as children received timely immunizations and mothers delivered safely at facilities.
Systemic transformation: eCHIS transitioned Uganda’s community health data from paper silos to a national digital platform. Its modularity means new health priorities (such as malnutrition) can be integrated seamlessly. The project shifted Uganda’s health system from reactive reporting to proactive, data-driven care, setting a precedent for national digital health strategies.