Guatemala Adopts iHRIS to Manage Health Workforce

Jun 6, 2013
  • ""
Guatemala is the newest country to adopt the open source iHRIS software for tracking, managing, and planning the health workforce. At least 14 other countries are actively using the software. 
 
CapacityPlus develops the core iHRIS software and releases updates with improvements and new features. Because the software is open source, Guatemala and other countries can freely modify it for local needs.

The USAID-funded and IntraHealth International-led Central America Capacity Project is providing technical assistance to the Guatemala Ministry of Health and Social Services to implement iHRIS Manage, the application for managing employed health workers, and to roll it out nationally.

Guatemalan health worker

More than 40,000 health worker records have already been entered into the system. That means Guatemala’s health leaders can easily access information about where the health workers are deployed, along with their salary history, promotions and transfers, qualifications, and in-service training completed.

The Ministry previously relied on a paper-based human resources information system, which made it difficult to access, aggregate, and analyze information. Now information can be compiled into several reports that can be produced on a routine basis. In addition, iHRIS Manage was customized to automate several manual health workforce processes, including simplifying the way contracts with health professionals are handled, eliminating inefficiencies and saving time and resources.

The new computer server

On May 14, the Ministry and IntraHealth signed a memorandum of understanding during a formal ceremony. The Guatemala Minister of Health and Social Services, Dr. Jorge Villavicencio, thanked USAID officials for the technical assistance and the donation of a computer server to host the software. “This tool will provide us complete information on the health workers in order to make important decisions about human resources who are the most important part of the health system,” he said.

Help CapacityPlus spread the word about strengthening the health workforce. Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook .
 
Related items: 

Photo 1 by Amanda Puckett (Guatemalan health worker). Photo 2 by Jaroslava Lemus (from left to right: Manuel Galvan, technical deputy minister; Dr. Jorge Villavicencio, minister of health and social services; Jose Luis Perez, human resources director; Yadira Villaseñor, regional director of USAID|Central America Capacity Project; Erik Janowsky, USAID representative)