Maarifa Centre, in collaboration with USAID-HIGDA Project, recently held a peer to peer learning forum for counties in two regional blocks to share experiences on the use of health information systems and Monitoring and Evaluation tools to improve service delivery in the health sector. The event held in Machakos town brought together county government staff from Kilifi and Mombasa (Jumuiya Ya Kaunti za Pwani Regional Economic Bloc) and Kisumu, Siaya and Kakamega from the Lake Region Economic Bloc. The county government staff had the opportunity to share their experiences, challenges and craft a way forward on the sustainability of peer to peer learning moving forward.
Objectives of the Meeting
1. Provide a platform for counties to share experience on:
- Implementing the learning agenda
- Emerging Issues, Opportunities and Lessons Learnt
- Counties strategies to sustain the peer to peer learning model
2. Develop consensus on the sustainability of peer to learning in Health Information Systems/Monitoring & Evaluation moving forward.
Some of the experiences shared included
- using ICT as an enabler for improved health service delivery in Kakamega;
- setting up and managing electronic medical records (EMR); and
- using SMS reminders to increase uptake of maternal health services, including skilled delivery, in Mombasa.
From the experience sharing sessions, Siaya and Mombasa Counties expressed interest to learn from the initiative on the use ICT as an enabler for improved service delivery in the health sector implemented in Kakamega. Kisumu County stated that they were set to learn about conducting EMR readiness assessment from Kakamega, while the Mombasa team were keen to replicate the Kisumus innovation of deploying an annual work-plan tracking tool for their health work plan.As a way forward, each county team agreed to designate peer learning champions to serve as the point of contact for county information sharing, to ensure innovations and best practices are communicated. Maarifa Centre was asked to mobilize resources to support more peer learning initiatives in the future.