LEGEND
THEOPHILA
HURIRO UWACU Director of E-Heza Digital Health Record The Ihangane Project
E
-Heza”, roughly translates as “a bright future” from Kinyarwanda, the official language of Rwanda. It is also the name of the country’s first electronic health record system, established in 2018. Theophila Huriro Uwacu oversaw the development of E-Heza and its expansion to 27 health centres. An advocate for the power of accurate data, E-Heza is a clear example of how collecting and analysing data can improve patient outcomes. Delivered by the non-profit The Ihangane Project (TIP) and with backing from the Johnson & Johnson Global Foundation, it has effectively revolutionised the country's once-fragmented health system, offering an integrated patient record with both hospital systems and the government's health information reporting platform. Since its inception, the Ruli region of northern Rwanda has seen a 60% drop in malnutrition, and the elimination of mother-to-child HIV transmission. When the pandemic arrived in Rwanda, Uwacu supervised the speedy implementation of E-Heza’s Acute Illness Assessment & Management system, aimed at community health workers as well as nurses in health centres. This has
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enabled healthcare workers in rural areas to enter screening information, and quickly isolate individuals suspected to have the virus. Rwanda’s overall COVID-19 response is regarded as an international success story. Uwacu has a Bachelor’s Engineering degree in Statistics applied to Economy, as well as a Master's in Project Management. After graduating she helped carry out a comprehensive needs assessment of a community-based nutritional programme in Ruli. She joined Kinihira Provincial Hospital shortly after it was established in 2013, as Clinical Data Manager. The role saw her helping the hospital's planning, by supervising its catchment area using a variety of reporting tools, including the Ministry of Health's system. It was undoubtedly a valuable experience for her next step: joining TIP, where she designed data tools, methodologies for collection, and devised training to ensure bias-free, accurate data collection. After a year overseeing the implementation of E-Heza, she became its Director in 2019. Uwacu is also a regular speaker at public events, and has appeared on panels to promote entrepreneurship among Rwandan youth
