CIF and MoLHSA conduct a workshop on Integrated Model and Strategic Plan for the Health Information system development in Georgia

On February 12, 2008 a stakeholder workshop to discuss an Integrated Model and Strategic Plan for the Health Information System development in Georgia was held at the Ministry of Labor Health and Social Affairs of Georgia (MoLHSA). The workshop was organized in the framework of the Health Metrics Network project implemented by CIF in collaboration with the MoLHSA.

The workshop was attended by the senior level policymakers, stakeholders from the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health, the Health and Social Programs Agency, the State Department of Statistics, private insurance companies, representatives of all donor supported Projects involved in the strengthening of the health information system. It was facilitated by the Deputy Minister Nikoloz Pruidze. Introductory remarks including a rapid review of the project, activities implementing within the project, workshop agenda, detailed the purpose of the meeting and introducing presenters from Curatio International Foundation was made by the project manager Ketevan Goguadze. Taking into account that the workshop was attended by the high level policy makers it was considered crucial to discuss proposed model of the integrated HIS once again to reach consensus on this issue.

Topics/questions discussed at the workshop:

Organizational Structure of HIS Introduction of relevant changes in the legislation (e.g. law on health care, law on public health, and development of “Healthcare Code”), that are required to insure Health status and IDSR data reporting from all autonomous health care facilities to rayon/ municipal public health units Introduction of the unique identification of population

Organization Structure of HIS: One of the key topics was related to the proposed integrated model of HIS. All stakeholders agreed that having NCDC regional branches would provide very good bases for institutionalizing and implementing upgraded HIS. Agreement has also been achieved on the issue related to the pooling and analysing the data at the regional level. NCDC regional structure would allow better monitoring quality of collected data, and providing technical assistance and on-the-job training to municipal Public Health units and healthcare facility staff collecting and reporting health data from grass root level. All participants also agreed that it is critically important to have public health services at the local level to ensure timely implementation of response measures in case of infectious disease outbreaks. As for their role in implementing HIS, under the proposed model, municipal (rayonal) PH units would be collecting data reports from individual facilities, and further submitting them to regional CPH. It was mentioned that making decision on creating NCDC regional branches is not only responsibility of the Ministry of Health. This issue requires further discussion at the cabinet of Ministers. Decision was made, that recommendations will be prepared and Minister of Health will submit to the Cabinet of Ministers for future discussion.

Introduction of relevant changes in the legislation: there is a prominent need to introduce changes in the existing laws (mainly law on health care and the law on public health) considering the current context of health care system of Georgia. While recognizing the importance of improving the aforementioned laws, the most important initiative would be introduction of effective mechanisms for implementation of these laws in real life by including administrative sanctions for both private and public facilities/ providers not complying with the defined rules in the “Administrative Code”. Decision was made to create working group at the Ministry of health, that would revise existing laws and “Administrative Code”, make relevant changes and include applicable sanctions (mostly professional, administrative, and financial) for those providers, facilities and local public health units not reporting data to MoLHSA according to defined rules and standards.

Unique identification of population- introduction of the unique identification of population was considered as very important for the country, however, given the complexity and high cost related to this issue it supposed to be long term perspective. It was also recognized that development of unique identification of population will require inter-sectoral approach and good coordination to make sure that main stakeholders such as line ministries and governmental agencies have coherent vision and implement activities in coordinated manner.

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