Sustaining Innovation Through
a Regional eHealth Strategy in
Ukraine
Gonçalo Castro
Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Socinstrasse 57, P.O. Box, 4002 Basel, Switzerland ([email protected])
Claudio Zaugg
Swiss Red Cross, Werkstrasse 18, 3084 Wabern, Switzerland ([email protected])
Objectives
Context
•
Guide sustainable and coordinated eHealth development
that reflects public health priorities in Volyn Region
•
Volyn Region, Ukraine
•
Make most out of resources available by prioritizing
eHealth interventions that are based on a common vision
•
Population[1]: 1’042’700 (January 2016)
•
Public health profile – highest burden on cardiovascular conditions &
other NCDs
Volyn Region
•
Support healthcare reform and alignment of health
system with international standards
•
•
Sustaining eHealth investments of the UkraineSwitzerland Mother and Child Health Programme in Volyn
Region
IT used in healthcare essentially for: financial accounting, equipment
inventory, teleconferencing and very limited clinical documentation
•
Large World Bank-funded health system reforms (including eHealth)
due to start nationwide
Kick-off &
Rapid
Assessment
Press Conference
WHO/ITU eHealth Strategy Toolkit
Stakeholder
Workshop
• Local experts contracted to study and collect data on specific areas:
• Applications
• Human Resources and Structures
• Infrastructure
• Legal framework, standards and interoperability
•
•
•
•
Presentation of results from contextual analysis
Identification of priority areas for local stakeholders
Aligning with national eHealth plans
Outlining process and timeframe for strategy elaboration
Stakeholder Workshop (1)
Lutsk Maternity Hospital
Strategy
Formulation
High-Level
Dialogue
Stakeholder Workshop (2)
Dissemination
Strategy Dissemination
• Synthetizing outcomes of contextual analysis, workshops and other information collected
• Drafting strategy, including:
• Vision
• Strategic Objectives
• Implementation Governance
• Action Plan
• Risk Management
August 2013 – January 2015
Electronic Pregnancy Registry in Volyn
Contextual
Analysis, Data
Collection
• Agreement on process of strategy development with key stakeholders inspired by
WHO/ITU National eHealth Strategy Toolkit
• Mapping of key eHealth tools used or planned for implementation in the region
• Visiting health care facilities and conduction of preliminary interviews
• Revising and fine-tuning strategy with regional decision-makers
• Raising awareness for action among regional and national stakeholders
• Postponing final approval of the strategy given the Euromaidan Revolution and political
changes
• Official publication of the Volyn eHealth Strategy in January 2015
• Dissemination of the strategy in the region, nationally and with international partners active
in the health sector in Ukraine
• Operationalization of the strategy in Volyn
Volyn eHealth Strategy 2015-2020
Lessons Learned
Acknowledgement
• Education and sensitization of stakeholders and decision-makers is crucial in conducting eHealth strategic planning given the novelty of this field.
• WHO/ITU Toolkit was helpful as a basis for the development of the strategy, although the need for more practical tools/annexes in the toolkit was identified. Its
structure and methods were quite significantly adapted and complemented with other literature for the purpose of developing the Volyn eHealth Strategy.
• National eHealth strategies are important and necessary. However, in large countries regional approaches account better for local context while contributing to
national initiatives.
• Although the limited autonomy of regional authorities within the Ukrainian health system hinders decentralized strategic planning (e. g. nationally defined
organizational structures for regional health authorities), creative solutions can be found for challenges of that nature.
The development of the Volyn eHealth
Strategy 2015-2020 has been financed
by the Swiss Agency for Development
and Cooperation, in the frame of the
Ukraine-Switzerland Mother and Child
Health Programme.
References:
Swiss TPH, Socinstrasse 57, P.O. Box, 4002 Basel, Switzerland
[1] State Statistics Service of Ukraine, 2016. Population as of January 1, 2016. Available at: http://ukrstat.org/en/operativ/operativ2015/ds/kn/kn_e/kn1215_e.html [Accessed March 17, 2016]
T +41 61 284 81 11, F +41 61 284 81 01, www.swisstph.ch