Smart backs DOH efforts to reduce maternal deaths
MANILA, Philippines—Through its flagship health project “Secured Health Information Network and Exchange” (SHINE), Smart Communications Inc. is taking part in a multisectoral effort to help improve the Philippine health system in line with the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) target of reducing the maternal mortality ratio of 162 per 100,000 live births to 52 by the year 2015.
The effort is spearheaded by the 162-52 Coalition formed by the Department of Health (DOH) through the Bureau of Local Health Development and other conveners of the Third Philippine Health Outlook Forum. The coalition aims to pursue strategic and urgent responses to achieve maternal and child health targets while providing opportunities for private and civil society groups to contribute interventions under one framework for action.
Developed by Smart for use by health care workers, SHINE is a web- and mobile-based platform that provides a solution to one of the main issues concerning Philippine health care—the lack of interconnected data.
Health Secretary Enrique Ona underscored the role of information technology in providing the necessary data to advance health care during a recent breakfast fellowship held at the Philippine International Convention Center. The event was a prelude to the “162-52 Summit—Accelerating Impact on Maternal and Child Health.”
“We must have data to achieve our [MDG target] in the next three years. We are happy that the private sector has taken cognizance and are willing to help,” Ona said.
The fellowship was intended to highlight the role of provincial governments in developing local health systems. “What we need is a committed health leadership to work toward an improved health system that will then lead to better health service delivery and ultimately a better health outcome,” said Ernesto Garilao, president of the Zuellig Family Foundation, the summit organizer, and one of the lead conveners of the 162-52 Coalition.
SHINE uses mobile and ICT technologies to create electronic medical records for a convenient and efficient method of recording, storing and updating patients’ reports and consultations.
