Tamil Nadu Health Watch
Disease Surveillance Solution
"It is the best system for giving early warnings, and at the same time is simple and cost effective."
-Smt. Sheela Rani Chanduk, Tamil Nadu Health Secretary
Customer Profile
Tamil Nadu state is located on the south eastern side of
Indian peninsula. Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu, is the
gateway to South India with an international airport, sea ports, and
a superior rail and road transportation system. The state has a large
number of educational institutions, and is a leader in Science and
Technology, particularly Information Technology.
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| Tamil Nadu Health Watch Launch, May
2005 |
Situation and Challenges
The devastating tsunami affecting Southeast Asia in December 2004
severely impacted Tamil Nadu. To contain and reduce escalating disease
incidence during the post-tsunami relief effort, health officials
needed a surveillance network that allowed them to easily access
and analyze disease information in real-time.
Solution
In May 2005, Tamil Nadu Health Watch was launched in the
four worst affected tsunami districts in Tamil Nadu: Nagapattinam,
Cuddalore, Kancheepuram, and Kanyakumari. Health Watch allows health
workers, even in remote areas, to immediately report disease incidence
data to health officials. In turn, health managers can quickly analyze
information about suspected cases, share technical information and
resources, and initiate an informed response.
By linking Primary Health Centers with district health
experts and program managers, activities can be coordinated more
effectively and resources (e.g., supplies, technical personnel,
and transport) can be allocated more efficiently. During the implementation,
Voxiva trained more than 300 doctors from Primary Health Centers
using simple, easy to use bilingual manuals and interactive sessions.
The training sessions were coordinated with the state to reinforce
disease surveillance guidelines and outbreak response protocols.
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| Tamil Nadu Health Watch
Dashboard |
The phone- and web- based data collection and
communication system strengthens Tamil Nadu's disease surveillance
capabilities at the district and sub-district levels. The solution
maximizes the use of existing communications infrastructure-mobile
phones, fixed line, and the Internet-making it a cost-effective
and sustainable solution.
Benefits
Tamil Nadu Health Watch delivers the following benefits:
 Improved Coordination and Response: Minimize redundant efforts and enhance collaboration by empowering district level managers and front-line health workers with a robust communication platform.
Increased Visibility at the Field Level: Quickly access and analyze critical health information from the field to enable more informed planning and effective decision-making.
Reduced Disease Incidence: Improve the quality of health care, even in remote areas, through increased transparency and accountability at all levels of the health system.
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