Countries Save Over $100 Million With Open Source Software And Powerful Data

The free, open source iHRIS software has now given 16 countries powerful data-management capabilities that, if purchased from for-profit companies, would have cost over $100 million in combined licensing fees. Instead, government agencies in Africa, Latin America, and India now use the affordable iHRIS to store over 675,000 health worker records, allowing officials to track, manage, and plan for their health workforces.

Fifty-seven countries around the world suffer from critical shortages of health workers. Data are vital for those countries as they struggle to add skilled personnel and build their health sectors. Governments need to know, for example, how many health workers they have, where those health workers are, what skillsets they offer, and whether they are licensed and qualified to provide high-quality care.

In the past year, officials in Guatemala, Namibia, Senegal, and Chad have adopted the iHRIS software, and several other countries will follow suit in the coming year.