The Government of Malawi through a financing agreement with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for the implementation of the Kuunika “Data for Action” Project has launched the Kuunika Core Package in Zomba, Malawi

The Kuunika Core Package is envisioned to unlock a shared health record in Malawi which consists of four capabilities:

• Firstly, the unlocking of a capability to triangulate HIV program data with epidemiological input and resource data to inform planning, management and impact assessment
• The second capability unlocked is to routinely measure performance against targets and assign and manage corrective actions
• The third capability is to generate accurate, unique patient counts and measure patient mobility
• And the final capability is to unlock the adaptation and differentiation of HIV care based on insights from patient level data

These capabilities are expected to assist in crucial decision making that help improve services at the facility and better plan on basis of trend analysis.

This leveraging use of technology to enable delivery of care and support to Malawians that come to seek health care in the health facilities is in support of the Government of Malawi’s policy for provision of health. This policy which is consistent with UN Sustainable Development goal 3 on Good Health and Wellbeing states that ensuring healthy lives and promoting the well-being for all at all ages is essential to sustainable development.

Kuunika “Data for Action” Project, which is implemented by a consortium of four organizations – consisting Lighthouse Trust (LHT), Baobab Health Trust (LHT), Luke International – Norway (LIN) and International Training and Education Center for Health (I-TECH) – in partnership with Cooper/Smith, is being implemented to meet the range of technological innovations, knowledge translation, and health system strengthening needs of the Ministry of Health (MOH) in Malawi.

The ultimate goal of Kuunika is to improve health service delivery by strengthening national health information systems and the capabilities of Government to use data to improve program performance. 

Through the Kuunika Project, the Government of Malawi (GoM) has proposed to strategically and efficiently strengthen the data systems architecture while simultaneously evaluating targeted methods to increase data use for decision making at the facility, district and central levels.

The Kuunika “Data for Action” Project, which commenced in October 2016, is categorized into two phases to allow for innovation, evaluation, and iterative program design.  In the first phase, running until August 2019, the Kuunika Project is supporting a full package in 5 districts including Lilongwe, Blantyre, Zomba, Thyolo and Mangochi and three facilities in Mulanje. Phase II, which will run from 2019 to 2020, will expand successful interventions to additional districts and sites.  Phase III will focus on sustaining program gains, translating lessons learned and best practices into policy, and identifying a path for bringing activities to scale.