iHRIS Use Continues Growth Worldwide

Staff Writer | IntraHealth International | April 12, 2012

Customizable, open source software for health managers

Since 2007, IntraHealth has introduced two additional iHRIS software products and continues to release enhanced versions with new features. Because iHRIS is open source, local developers are free to tailor the system for a country’s specific needs. In fact, each of the countries using iHRIS customized it to match its own health system processes.

IntraHealth supports the core development of iHRIS and its implementation through CapacityPlus and several other USAID-funded projects, but the value of the software is recognized well beyond IntraHealth and USAID’s doors. Other donors and organizations now contribute to the software and support country efforts to deploy and use it effectively. Some countries, such as Togo, have even deployed iHRIS with only a small amount of remote support.

An online community for in-country iHRIS developers and implementers further supports and extends the software. Thanks largely to volunteers, iHRIS has been translated into 13 languages, making the software even more accessible. Four other countries in the Caribbean, Central America, and Asia plan to adopt the software this year. IntraHealth’s efforts also expand the iHRIS community and build local technology capacity through making documentation freely available online, creating a free eLearning course hosted on the HRH Global Resource Center, posting the software code for easy download and translation, and offering short-term “eHealth Fellows” code bounties.