Amidst growing concern over the spread of the Dengue virus in Peshawar, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Technology Board (KPITB) has developed a “Health Portal” application.
Citizens will now be able to identify and report Dengue anywhere in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but the application can also be used for reporting and monitoring, and citizen feedback on any public health issue in the province. The Health Portal app will have easy to understand infographics and content in both Urdu and English.
Citizens can also now call “1700” and access the Dengue Health Helpline 24 hours a day. The Health Portal App will be available to download on Google Play Store in the coming days.
Health workers can also login to the app to report updates on treatment activities, and when they recognize symptoms of infectious diseases in communities across the province.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Department will mobilize staff and resources in response to citizen concerns and use the data collected to identify public health trends and monitor health worker performance.
KP IT Board has also developed a computerized “dashboard” that analyzes the data as it’s coming in for the Health Department.
Dr. Shahbaz Khan, Managing Director of KPITB said,
“We were asked if there was a way technology could help calm growing public concerns around dengue, and we took that as an opportunity to build something that could potentially transform the public health sector in the province. I am extremely proud of my team and we hope to ensure successful deployment of the app in the coming days”
The quick development of the application is also a testament to how technology can be used to improve all types of government service delivery and how government departments can collaborate.