Rwanda

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Overview:
As HISP Rwanda’s home country, Rwanda has long been a model for data-driven health systems in Africa. Our work here dates back to 2012, focusing on continuous refinement of DHIS2 modules, integration with community-based health insurance systems, and supporting Rwanda’s ambitious digitization agenda across public sectors.

Our Work:

  1. Early DHIS2 Adoption & Scaling: In 2012, HISP Rwanda assisted the Rwanda Ministry of Health in replacing legacy systems with DHIS2. We configured modules for routine health metrics—immunization, maternal health, HIV/AIDS—and scaled from 30 pilot sites to all 509 health centers by 2015.
  2. Integration with e-PWS (e-Patient Web System): In partnership with Intelehealth (a local tech firm), we linked DHIS2 to an e-PWS EMR platform, ensuring that patient encounter data flowed seamlessly into population-level reports. This integration reduced duplicate data entry by 45%.
  3. Community Health Worker (CHW) Mobile App: In 2018, HISP Rwanda developed an Android-based CHW app, enabling community volunteers to register pregnant women, track community-based health insurance (CBHI) contributions, and report defaulters for immunization. By 2020, the app was used by 30,000 CHWs nationwide.
  4. COVID-19 Response Enhancements: During the pandemic, we built a COVID-19 module in DHIS2 that monitored confirmed cases, bed occupancy, and oxygen availability. A national dashboard—updated hourly—allowed the Joint Task Force to allocate medical resources efficiently.
  5. Data Use Culture & Mentorship: HISP Rwanda hosts an annual Data Use Symposium, bringing together districts to share best practices. We mentor District Health Officers in generating operational plans based on DHIS2 outputs—ensuring that data translates directly into actions.

Impact:

  • Immunization Coverage: Rwanda consistently achieves above 95% national immunization coverage, credited partly to community-based tracking via CHW app.
  • Maternal Mortality Reduction: Real-time monitoring of ANC visits enabled early interventions; maternal mortality declined from 210 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2015 to 185 in 2020.
  • COVID-19 Containment: The DHIS2 COVID-19 dashboard helped maintain positivity rates below 2% during the first wave, with rapid identification of hotspots in Kigali and Byumba.

Partners:

  • Ministry of Health, Rwanda: Strategic partner for policy alignment, data governance, and resource allocation.
  • Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC): Leading implementation partner for CHW programs and immunization campaigns.
  • USAID – Rwanda Mission: Funded CHW app development and Data Use Symposium.
  • VillageReach: Assisted with logistics for tablet distribution and solar power kits in remote sectors.

Lessons Learned & Future Plans:
Rwanda’s success is attributed to a culture of data use. HISP Rwanda aims to pilot AI-driven predictive analytics in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University Africa, enabling early warning of disease outbreaks. By late 2025, we plan to integrate CHW data with climate and satellite data to predict malaria spikes.

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