Technology for citizen participation in health (technology platform project for the democratization and improvement of the health care system)


Reporting Organization:Unité de santé internationale de l'UdeM/CHUM
Total Budget ($CAD):$ 3,772,112
Timeframe: August 29, 2017 - July 31, 2022
Status: Unspecified
Contact Information: Linda François
[email protected]

Partner & Funder Profiles


Reporting Organization


Unité de santé internationale de l'UdeM/CHUM

Participating Organizations


Funders (Total Budget Contribution)


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Location


Country - Total Budget Allocation


Benin - $ 1,256,113.30 (33.30%)

Burkina Faso - $ 1,256,113.30 (33.30%)

Congo (DRC) - $ 1,256,113.30 (33.30%)

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Areas of Focus


Other - Total Budget Allocation


Law, Governance & Public Policy (50.00 %)

Human Rights, Advocacy & Public Engagement (50.00 %)

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Description


This project aims to improve health systems for and by women and disadvantaged people. The goal is to improve citizen engagement and make public institutions more responsive to citizens’ needs and rights using a technology platform. The initiative supports targeted areas (urban and rural): 1) the free expression of the opinions of citizens and health workers on their health system through new technologies, including mobile applications, SMS platforms, blogs, and wikis; 2) the use of useful and usable data by local institutions and national decision-makers to improve the health systems and make them more democratic; 3) stronger advocacy to make the health systems in the three countries more responsive to the needs of women and the disadvantaged in society. Project activities include: 1) carrying out social integration activities and awareness campaigns in the use of technologies to empower people, particularly women and the most disadvantaged; 2) training local institutions so that they can collect, analyze and disseminate information on health services to citizens; 3) developing technologies (mobile applications for smartphones and tablets, automated information sharing modules) to enable users to express their opinions on the health system to staff to identify complaints received and enable decision-makers to better understand the needs and grievances of citizens; 4) developing a text messaging platform allowing citizens to access information on health system services and access, including health rights; and 5) training and supporting non-governmental organizations and public institutions to facilitate policy dialogue to enable better access to health services that meet the needs of citizens.

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Target Population


Gender and age: Unspecified
Total Direct Population: Unspecified
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Outputs


- An identification registry for the destitute in Kwango Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Survey programs defined by NGO partners with common service organizations (CSOs) and local associations in the health, law, social action and women sector to identify components of information collection in Benin, Burkina Faso and DRC
Awareness campaigns on the availability of technologies for the expression of opinions by local citizens, including health workers, women, girls and the destitute, by partners NGOs in the targeted areas
Training provided to field partners for the collection of reliable qualitative and quantitative data and their analyses, integrating issues of gender equality and status
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Results & Indicators


Expected Results


1. Increased empowerment of women and men, girls and boys, and marginalized groups to participate in democratic processes as well as enjoy and exercise their human rights

2. Improved equitable and inclusive participation in democratic decision-making processes as well as increased use of technology by citizens for reporting purposes

3. Increased sensitivity of public institutions to the different needs and rights of citizens, through Action-Governance-Interaction-Reinforcement technologies

Achieved Results


Implemented the TOPICS (citizen participation in health technologies) project in Benin, Burkina Faso and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a project aimed at testing new digital technologies to gather the opinions of users and health service providers on their health system. These databases have been made available to governments who wish to use them in the planning and implementation of their health policies.

Based on the implementation of toll-free numbers with an interactive voice server to conduct surveys in the three countries, the intervention was supported by community communication campaigns to stimulate participation. Awareness campaigns on health rights and duties were also conducted to help citizens express informed opinions. In Benin, digital kiosks for data collection have been installed in strategic locations, in addition to the toll-free numbers.

By the end of the experiment, the toll-free numbers had received more than 118,000 calls, a very satisfactory number according to Valéry Ridde, senior researcher for the TOPICS project and research director at the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD). The figures show a conclusive participation rate and the information collected has made it possible to build usable databases, in line with the initial objectives, concluded the researcher at the end of the first day of the project’s closing workshop.

Indicators


  • None Selected
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Associated Projects (If applicable)


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