Using HMIS for monitoring and planning: the experience of Uganda Catholic Medical Bureau

Uganda has been successful in implementing the national 'Health Management Information System' (HMIS). This is attributed to the combined efforts of different providers operating jointly in the health system. Disease surveillance reports and monitoring of key output indicators within the health sector seem to be the areas with the most remarkable advance. But little mention has been made on the importance of the use of information for monitoring performance indicators and for management/decision making purposes. The existing HMIS makes this possible. In this paper, the authors present the contribution of the PNFP health sector to the operationalization of the HMIS and of its use as a tool geared towards performance assessment and informed management decision-making.