TSF initiates mHealth data programme in northern Syria
Azaz. One of many districts of northern Syria affected by armed conflict over the past 4 years, affecting over 165,000 people and exposing them to traumatic, socio-economic and war-related medical issues.
One of the two hospitals in the district was forced to close, with the second operating at half of its capacity. The number of war-related diseases and medical instabilities affecting mothers and children is increasing due to the lack of access to paediatric and maternity services.
To face this plague and improve the livelihood of this vulnerable population, TSF has teamed up with French NGO, Syria Charity, specialised in medical support and humanitarian aid for Syrian populations. The project is supported by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
TSF is developing a mobile data collection programme especially for Syria Charity's medical workers in the Azaz district in the aim of enhancing health access for conflict-affected populations.
The digital data collection forms will be deployed alongside 15 mobile medical teams in Azaz, trained by TSF. The medical experts will collect health and food security data from targeted villages in the district during regular consultations. The data from these surveys will then be sent via the TSF hospital internet connections and automatically aggregated and diffused to hospital-based doctors allowing them to better prepare for arrivals and adapt treatments to the plethora of medical needs that are fast arising.
The use of mobile data systems allows collectors to be more efficient on the ground, especially in a context of instability and vulnerability where time is everything and every minute counts. Thanks to this system, the information collected amongst the targeted 28,000 beneficiaries will ultimately enhance the provision of life-saving and life-sustaining health services, increase safe access to health services and improve coordination for an effective and harmonised health response.