2016 ICT4D Conference

In the wake of the Ebola epidemic, it is clear that the fragility of the Sierra Leone health system rendered the effect of the outbreak much more potent than it otherwise might have been. In addition, the lack of interoperable digital systems to capture, share and disseminate data and information amid the Ebola response efforts resulted in fragmented, duplicative efforts amongst both national and international responders.

In recent international fora such as the USAID/WAHO Data Harmonization Conference and the (Re)Building Health Systems meeting at Wilton Park, it was agreed that reducing fragmentation of efforts and improving systems interoperability in the Ebola recovery and rebuilding phase will be critical to ensuring that Sierra Leone will be able to weather any future health challenges or nascent epidemics swiftly and efficiently.

To address these issues, a Multi-Stakeholder Collaborative approach led by the Sierra Leone Government is being formulated to bring together a committed collaborative of partners at national, regional and international level. This effort will strive to maximize shared and individual strengths toward common goals, and leverage existing financial and technical commitments. Furthermore, the approach will facilitate a process by which strategies and implementation plans for community health and related digital systems will be integrated as appropriate and will inform each other's development, leading to harmonized, interoperable health and digital systems strengthening.