Uganda's new lab data repository to boost health surveillance and planning

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The Ministry of Health has launched the National Laboratory Data Repository, a one-stop digital platform expected to transform disease surveillance and health planning.

The system links all laboratory information systems across the country to the National Health Data Warehouse, enabling timely data sharing and informed decision-making.

The new system consolidates laboratory data generated from health facilities across the country into a single national repository, allowing authorised users to access real-time information for decision-making at facility, district, regional and national levels.

Dr Charles Olaro, Director General of Health Services, speaking during the Launch of the integrated electronic requests and results dispatch system validation of the Laboratory Data Repository at Silver Springs Hotel. (Credit: Violet Nabatanzi)

At the launch of the new system at Silver Springs hotel, the Director General of Health Services, Dr Charles Olaro, said the repository will also serve as a foundation for research that informs policy.

“We want this data to generate research, and for that research to inform policy decisions,” Olaro said, describing the system as an e-library of laboratory information.

He added that sustaining the system will require significant resources, and the ministry is exploring ways for it to generate revenue in the future to ensure long-term sustainability.

Paul Mbaka, Assistant Commissioner for Health Information at the Ministry of Health, says that the biggest beneficiaries will be surveillance teams monitoring disease patterns, as well as clinicians directly managing patients.

The system is fully online and accessible to health managers as long as they have internet connectivity.

Using laboratory evidence will enable authorities to identify trends, gaps and possible misuse of diagnostics.

Dr Susan Nabadda, Commissioner of Laboratory Services, speaking during the Launch of the integrated electronic requests and results dispatch system validation of the Laboratory Data Repository at Silver Springs Hotel. (Credit: Violet Nabatanzi)

Dr Susan Nabadda, Commissioner Laboratory Services, explained that the move addresses a long-standing challenge of fragmented laboratory data systems, adding that laboratory data has traditionally been stored and accessed in separate systems for HIV, disease surveillance, non-communicable diseases and routine clinical care.

Nabadda said, ‘’we need to store this data because, first, clinicians can use it for patient monitoring, tracking disease trends, and forecasting.

For example, when all data is in one database, it becomes possible to visualise it at once. If I observe a high number of malaria cases during a specific period, I can compare that information with the stocks supplied to health facilities. This helps determine whether stocks need to be increased, reduced, or redistributed accordingly,’’ she said.