Digitizing care: Redefining healthcare through innovation at Galkayo Health Centre

Galkayo, 30 Jan 2025: Maria Abdirahman, a healthcare worker, is at the forefront of efforts to improve healthcare in Galkayo. As the nurse in charge at Galkayo Health Centre, she has faced numerous challenges, including with manual processes to collect and store patient data, delivery notes, and stock reports. The heaps of files stacking her office speak to years of accumulated paperwork. Today, however, her work has been made easier by the power of technology.               

The last-mile digital monitoring system introduced by UNICEF is a user-friendly, web-based tool that tracks nutrition supplies from the warehouse to the health center, where the supplies are received by health workers like Maria and entered into the system. This information is visible via a dashboard and allows UNICEF and other partners to monitor stock movements in real time, and access up-to-date information on the location, condition, and status of the supplies.

For patient records, health workers use the OGOW digital patient record system, which has replaced traditional paper-based records. With a tablet provided by UNICEF, Maria can now input details for both mother and child, creating a unique identification number for each patient. This project is possible thanks to funding from the EU and USAID.

"When I first started, everything was done by hand," Maria recalls. "Managing patient records and tracking supplies was challenging, especially with so many patients. It was hard to ensure everyone received the care they needed. But now, with digital tools like the last-mile monitoring system and the OGOW patient record system, I can focus on what truly matters - providing quality care to people."

When mothers arrive at the health center with their children, some of whom are severely malnourished and in urgent need of care, Maria uses the digital app to register the child, assess their health status, and enroll them in the malnutrition treatment program. The system streamlines the process, allowing Maria to act swiftly in providing care.

"I am really grateful for the quick care my child received,” says Amina, a mother. “This new system is different from what we are used to, as we have always had to deal with manual registration. At first, it was a bit hard to understand, but now it is much faster. We no longer have to worry about carrying a registration card with us all the time, and we can get the care we need more easily."   

The improvements at Galkayo Health Centre are part of a broader initiative by UNICEF to ensure life-saving nutrition supplies, such as therapeutic foods, reach the children who need them most. In the past, tracking these supplies was a major challenge, but now, with the introduction of a new digital tracking system, every box of supply can be followed from its source to its destination.

“One of the biggest challenges we used to face was the loss of registration cards when mothers moved to different towns for services.” Says Maria. “But with OGOW, that is a thing of the past as patient records are now fully digitized."

For Maria, this new system means she can rely on the timely arrival of essential supplies. “I don’t have to worry about running out or losing track of things,” she explains. “I know everything is accounted for, and that gives me peace of mind.”

For Maria, these changes are more than just technological advances, they represent hope. "This isn’t just a job for me, it is a calling," she says. "With these tools, I can finally do my job in an efficient manner.