Putting health facilities on the map: a renewed call to create geolocated, comprehensive, updated, openly licensed dataset of health facilities in sub-Saharan African countries
Abstract Background Healthcare service provision, planning, and management depend on the availability of a geolocated, up-to-date, comprehensive health facility database (HFDB) to adequately meet a population’s healthcare needs. HFDBs are an integral component of national health system infrastructur...
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BMC
2025-04-01
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| Series: | BMC Medicine |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-025-04023-z |
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| author | Peter M. Macharia Lenka Beňová Nicolas Ray Aline Semaan Moses M. Musau John Kapoi Kipterer Mark Herringer Robert W. Snow Emelda A. Okiro |
| author_facet | Peter M. Macharia Lenka Beňová Nicolas Ray Aline Semaan Moses M. Musau John Kapoi Kipterer Mark Herringer Robert W. Snow Emelda A. Okiro |
| author_sort | Peter M. Macharia |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Healthcare service provision, planning, and management depend on the availability of a geolocated, up-to-date, comprehensive health facility database (HFDB) to adequately meet a population’s healthcare needs. HFDBs are an integral component of national health system infrastructure forming the basis of efficient health service delivery, planning, surveillance, and ensuring equitable resource distribution, response to epidemics and outbreaks, as well as for research. Despite the value of HFDBs, their availability remains a challenge in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Many SSA countries face challenges in creating a HFDB; existing facility lists are incomplete, lack geographical coordinates, or contain outdated information on facility designation, service availability, or capacity. Even in countries with a HFDB, it is often not available open-access to health system stakeholders. Consequently, multiple national and subnational parallel efforts attempt to construct HFDBs, resulting in duplication and lack of governmental input, use, and validation. Main body In this paper, we advocate for a harmonized SSA-wide HFDB. To achieve this, we elaborate on the steps required and challenges to overcome. We provide an overview of the minimum attributes of a HFDB and discuss past and current efforts to collate HFDBs at the country and regional (SSA) levels. We contend that a complete HFDB should include administrative units, geographic coordinates of facilities, attributes of service availability and capacity, facilities from both public and private sectors, be updated regularly, and be available to health system stakeholders through an open access policy. We provide historical and recent examples while looking at key issues and challenges, such as privacy, legitimacy, resources, and leadership, which must be considered to achieve such HFDBs. Conclusion A harmonized HFDB for all SSA countries will facilitate efficient healthcare planning and service provision. A continental, cross-border effort will further support planning during natural disasters, conflicts, and migration. This is only achievable if there is a regional commitment from countries and health system stakeholders to open data sharing. This SSA-wide HFDB should be a government-led initiative with contributions from all stakeholders, ensuring no one is left behind in the pursuit of improved health service provision and universal health coverage. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-cdc2bb41487c48c9b9e28735da9cb49a |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1741-7015 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
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| series | BMC Medicine |
| spelling | doaj-art-cdc2bb41487c48c9b9e28735da9cb49a2025-08-20T02:16:06ZengBMCBMC Medicine1741-70152025-04-0123111710.1186/s12916-025-04023-zPutting health facilities on the map: a renewed call to create geolocated, comprehensive, updated, openly licensed dataset of health facilities in sub-Saharan African countriesPeter M. Macharia0Lenka Beňová1Nicolas Ray2Aline Semaan3Moses M. Musau4John Kapoi Kipterer5Mark Herringer6Robert W. Snow7Emelda A. Okiro8Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical MedicineDepartment of Public Health, Institute of Tropical MedicineGeohealth Group, Institute of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of GenevaDepartment of Public Health, Institute of Tropical MedicinePopulation and Health Impact Surveillance Group, Kenya Medical Research Institute-Wellcome Trust Research ProgrammeWorld Health Organization Regional Office for AfricaThe Global Healthsites Mapping ProjectPopulation and Health Impact Surveillance Group, Kenya Medical Research Institute-Wellcome Trust Research ProgrammePopulation and Health Impact Surveillance Group, Kenya Medical Research Institute-Wellcome Trust Research ProgrammeAbstract Background Healthcare service provision, planning, and management depend on the availability of a geolocated, up-to-date, comprehensive health facility database (HFDB) to adequately meet a population’s healthcare needs. HFDBs are an integral component of national health system infrastructure forming the basis of efficient health service delivery, planning, surveillance, and ensuring equitable resource distribution, response to epidemics and outbreaks, as well as for research. Despite the value of HFDBs, their availability remains a challenge in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Many SSA countries face challenges in creating a HFDB; existing facility lists are incomplete, lack geographical coordinates, or contain outdated information on facility designation, service availability, or capacity. Even in countries with a HFDB, it is often not available open-access to health system stakeholders. Consequently, multiple national and subnational parallel efforts attempt to construct HFDBs, resulting in duplication and lack of governmental input, use, and validation. Main body In this paper, we advocate for a harmonized SSA-wide HFDB. To achieve this, we elaborate on the steps required and challenges to overcome. We provide an overview of the minimum attributes of a HFDB and discuss past and current efforts to collate HFDBs at the country and regional (SSA) levels. We contend that a complete HFDB should include administrative units, geographic coordinates of facilities, attributes of service availability and capacity, facilities from both public and private sectors, be updated regularly, and be available to health system stakeholders through an open access policy. We provide historical and recent examples while looking at key issues and challenges, such as privacy, legitimacy, resources, and leadership, which must be considered to achieve such HFDBs. Conclusion A harmonized HFDB for all SSA countries will facilitate efficient healthcare planning and service provision. A continental, cross-border effort will further support planning during natural disasters, conflicts, and migration. This is only achievable if there is a regional commitment from countries and health system stakeholders to open data sharing. This SSA-wide HFDB should be a government-led initiative with contributions from all stakeholders, ensuring no one is left behind in the pursuit of improved health service provision and universal health coverage.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-025-04023-zHealth facility databaseSub-Saharan AfricaDataHealthcareHealth systemOpen data sharing |
| spellingShingle | Peter M. Macharia Lenka Beňová Nicolas Ray Aline Semaan Moses M. Musau John Kapoi Kipterer Mark Herringer Robert W. Snow Emelda A. Okiro Putting health facilities on the map: a renewed call to create geolocated, comprehensive, updated, openly licensed dataset of health facilities in sub-Saharan African countries BMC Medicine Health facility database Sub-Saharan Africa Data Healthcare Health system Open data sharing |
| title | Putting health facilities on the map: a renewed call to create geolocated, comprehensive, updated, openly licensed dataset of health facilities in sub-Saharan African countries |
| title_full | Putting health facilities on the map: a renewed call to create geolocated, comprehensive, updated, openly licensed dataset of health facilities in sub-Saharan African countries |
| title_fullStr | Putting health facilities on the map: a renewed call to create geolocated, comprehensive, updated, openly licensed dataset of health facilities in sub-Saharan African countries |
| title_full_unstemmed | Putting health facilities on the map: a renewed call to create geolocated, comprehensive, updated, openly licensed dataset of health facilities in sub-Saharan African countries |
| title_short | Putting health facilities on the map: a renewed call to create geolocated, comprehensive, updated, openly licensed dataset of health facilities in sub-Saharan African countries |
| title_sort | putting health facilities on the map a renewed call to create geolocated comprehensive updated openly licensed dataset of health facilities in sub saharan african countries |
| topic | Health facility database Sub-Saharan Africa Data Healthcare Health system Open data sharing |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-025-04023-z |
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