Investing in people rather than technology is one key way to build robust health information systems in developing countries, according to Amjad Zaim, a health information technology specialist at Chemonics.
As chief of party for one of the longest running U.S. Agency for International Development health programs in the West Bank and Gaza, Amjad Zaim was tasked with expanding and improving health information systems for hospitals and clinics in the region.
The main challenge, he said, was getting local health care professionals used to a new way of doing things. He emphasized the importance of learning what locals want from a new system and coordinating efforts to meet those needs.