One Health Data Platform to Improve Belize’s Health Care

When it comes to improving healthcare, there’s one tool that’s often overlooked but absolutely essential, data. From tracking disease trends to shaping smarter policies and even developing new treatments, data is the backbone of a strong health system. That’s why this week, the Ministry of Health and Wellness, in partnership with the Pan American Health Organization, brought together health sector stakeholders for a two-day datathon right here in Belize City. The idea is to get everyone on board with a unified, ‘One Health’ data platform, one that connects the dots between human, animal, and environmental health. News Five’s Paul Lopez was there and has more on how this data-driven approach could transform the way Belize tackles health challenges.

 

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Right now, the Ministry of Health and Wellness uses the Belize Health Information System to track health data, but it doesn’t include information from all the health organizations across the country. That’s a big gap when it comes to making smart decisions about public health. To fix that, the Ministry has teamed up with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to host a two-day datathon. It aims to bring everyone together and work toward a single, unified platform where all health data can be shared and used to guide better policies and services. Leading the charge is Dr. Andrei Chell, the Director of Policy Analysis, who says this is a big step toward a more connected and informed health system for Belize.

 

Dr. Andrei Chell, Director of Policy Analysis, MOHW

“The main objective of this datathon is to put the ministry of health as the stewards of health data governance. So we are trying to look at digital health transformation. We are moving towards that digital era of modernizing our health system. We as a ministry has that mandate to ensure what data we collect meets the quality of what we need and that data will inform our policies, our actions, which translates to the better health outcome we want to give to the entire Belizean population.”

 

In September 2024, the Ministry of Health and Wellness launched its Clinical Data Exchange Platform. The web-based system provides access to institutions and organizations across the country to input key health data on a single platform. Digital Focal Point at the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Juan Carlos Sarabia shared more.

 

Juan Carlos Sarabia, Digital Health Focal Point, MOHW

“This datathon we are doing for these two days helps a lot because it is also to introduce to the different stakeholders and ministries and units that we do have a system where data exchange can happen. And it is not just the exchange of data, it is also to create dashboard, reports and KPIs for the  different institutions and ministry of health and wellness. Having a full understanding of what is going on in the country, especially with health is good for us and this system does provide us with the capacity to do so in a timely manner.”

 

Dr. Andrei Chell

“Being that this is the first datathon, of course there will be more collaborations with PAHO and these institutions. But a long-term goal is to create that multisectoral collaboration, strengthen that multi sectoral collaboration. As I mentioned, it is not only the job of the ministry of health but all our partners here today. The goal is to strengthen health governance, to strengthen digital health transformation.”

 

So, what exactly are public health experts collecting when it comes to health data and how much of it should be shared on one national platform? That’s the big question at the center of this week’s discussions. Of course, some people might be wondering, ‘Is my personal health information safe?’ It’s a fair concern. But according to Sarabia, there’s no need to worry, security is a top priority.

 

Juan Carlos Sarabia

“So the CDEP was built in a very secured platform, meaning that different institutions will have to subscribe to it in order to access data. And it is not just access to data. It is what agreement can be made with eh ministry of health and wellness as to what data can be shared about the patient. They way the system is built, it is hosted in the CITO network. It is difficult for any data breach to happen. They have high security. CDEP does come with a user access, authentication and audit. We do control who is able to access, when, and even audit. We control what the users are doing with the system.”

Dr. Chell made it clear: the big goal here is to make sure the ministry takes the lead when it comes to managing and protecting the country’s health data. Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.