Ethiopia's Federal Ministry of Health leads the country's public health system, including its national community health program staffed by health extension workers.
On CommCare, the Ministry runs its national eCHIS, putting all 18 health service packages in the hands of 17,000+ health extension workers.
A paperless health system takes more than tablets
More than half of Ethiopia’s population lives over 10 kilometers from the nearest health facility. Health extension workers bridge that gap, and the Ministry’s Information Revolution set out to give them digital tools. The Ministry chose CommCare because:
- It digitizes the full job. All 18 health service packages that health extension workers deliver, in one system.
- It closes the data gaps. Digital records replace paper registers that left discrepancies at the community level.
- It stays government-owned. The Federal Ministry of Health runs the system itself, built with JSI and the USAID Digital Health Activity.
- It supports workers instead of burdening them. Job aids, longitudinal tracking, and referrals make each visit better.
health posts run eCHIS today, more than a third of Ethiopia’s agrarian health posts and on the way to 18,000 nationwide, with all 18 health service packages digitized.
Health extension workers
Job aids guide every service package, replacing stacks of paper registers with one device.
Supervisors
Longitudinal tracking and referral systems follow each household’s care over time.
The Ministry
A government-owned system with a national dashboard refreshed within hours, feeding national health reporting.
Communities
Paperless service delivery brings care closer to families living far from the nearest facility.
CommCare has enabled Ethiopia to achieve meaningful digital implementation with our eCHIS. The platform supports 17,000+ health extension workers with job aids, longitudinal tracking, and referral systems while maintaining government ownership and enabling paperless service delivery.
See it in the field
A Health Post in Ethiopia that uses eCHIS for service delivery.
Hear it from the program
Dr. Girma Tadesse, eCHIS Project Manager at JSI, joins High Impact Growth to trace Ethiopia’s decades-long path to a fully paperless community health system.
Want to achieve impact like Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health?
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