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World Bank, USAID, Hail Wellbeing Foundation’s PHR Scheme

By Joseph Okoghenun
04 July 2015   |   3:23 am
THE World Bank, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have described the Personal Health Record (PHR) – a tool on maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) of the Wellbeing Foundation Africa – as a necessity to building health information and having consistency of data from different health facilities.
World Bank Group

THE International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group. Photo: techcabal

THE World Bank, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have described the Personal Health Record (PHR) – a tool on maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) of the Wellbeing Foundation Africa – as a necessity to building health information and having consistency of data from different health facilities.

The Wellbeing Foundation Africa has therefore urged development partners to the provision of the client-held PHR to ensure accountability in the healthcare system.

PHR, which puts data in the hands of expectant mothers, is a tool that can be used to collect, track and share past and current information about one’s health. Sometimes, this information can save one the money and inconvenience of repeating routine medical tests.

Even when routine procedures do need to be repeated, PHR can give medical care providers more insight into the patients’ personal health story.

According to a statement by Wellbeing Foundation Africa founded by Mrs.Toyin Saraki, in the recently released Roadmap for Health Measurement and Accountability Report, the World Bank, USAID and the WHO highlighted PHR as critical components of effective measurement and accountability systems.

“The Roadmap, which articulates a shared strategic approach to support effective measurement and accountability systems for a country’s health programmes, outlines smart investment that countries can adopt to strengthen basic measurement systems such as the personal health record,” the statement said. , adding that “ according to the report, ‘ client-held personal health records, especially for mothers and children, can build ownership of health information as well as consistency of data over time and across different facilities.”

The statement continued: “In addition to facilitating the systematic measurement of health data in Nigeria, this life-saving tool improves data capture and accountability, while empowering women with a documented record of their medical conditions; every stage in their pregnancy, and the life of their child for the first five years.

 

“As a vital audit tool, the personal health record can identify gaps in practice and improve quality of care. With this in mind, the Wellbeing Foundation Africa urges all development partners to work together to scale up the provision of the client-held personal health record as a matter of urgency and accountability – especially as the world transitions into the post-2015 development era.”

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