Earlier this week, CapacityPlus announced the release of iHRIS Manage and iHRIS Qualify 4.0.15, two software products that are part of CapacityPlus’s iHRIS Suite of Open Source tools for tracking, managing, and planning the health workforce. iHRIS Manage is used to maintain health worker deployment, performance, and attrition information while iHRIS Qualify can track training, certification, and licensure records. The new versions of these products include several features and enhancements to make implementation and administration of iHRIS easier, including a simpler method for producing standardized forms based on OpenOffice documents and faster report generation. Full language options in the new version include Dutch, Estonian, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish, Swahili, and Tagalog.

CapacityPlus also recently announced that Mali is the newest country in West Africa to adopt the iHRIS software. Like other countries in the West Africa, Mali has a critical shortage of health workers—the country has less than half of the 32,500 health workers it needs. Mali produces an ample number of qualified health workers, but financial constraints limit recruitment efforts. Rural areas are most affected, and many health workers are poorly distributed throughout the country. The deficit is more severe for midwives and obstetric nurses. In response, the Mali Ministry of Health decided to implement iHRIS Manage to better manage its available health workforce.

Building on Other Countries’ Work

Earlier this year, staff from the Ministry’s Human Resources Department met with Dr. Kayode Odusote, CapacityPlus consultant and former director of human resources development for West African Health Organization (WAHO), to compare the existing system with an iHRIS system. This group identified customizations they needed in the new system, revised the department’s data collection tools, and developed a plan for deployment. Dr. Odusote trained departmental staff on key software functions, including how to enter data, maintain the application, and produce standard reports.

The work in Mali builds on ongoing iHRIS work in Ghana, Nigeria, and Togo led by WAHO with support from CapacityPlus. Specifically, Mali plans to build on Togo’s French version of iHRIS Manage and further adapt the system for the human resources department’s administrative processes. The Ministry will then pilot-test the software by having specific units complete the revised data collection tool and enter data into the system. The human resources department will agree on job and position codes. The fully customized Mali site should be launched later this month with assistance from CapacityPlus.

CapacityPlus is a global project uniquely focused on the health workforce needed to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. It is led by IntraHealth International and funded by USAID.