Ethiopia Unveils Digital Health Data Exchange Platform to Link Public Systems

July 6, 2026
By Mintesinot Nigussie

Ethiopia's Ministry of Health has launched a national initiative to establish a digital platform that will enable health information systems to exchange data securely with other government and non-health sector systems, as part of efforts to accelerate the country's digital transformation agenda.

The initiative, known as the Interoperability Highway, forms part of the ministry's Health Information Exchange (HIE) Blueprint, which is designed to create a standardised framework for sharing health data across institutions while maintaining security and interoperability.

Speaking at the launch, Dr Asnake Wakjira, chief executive for management at the Ministry of Health, said the blueprint would help integrate digital health services with information systems operated by other sectors in line with the Digital Ethiopia 2030 strategy.

He said the platform would provide a secure and standards-based mechanism for connecting previously fragmented systems, enabling health institutions to exchange information more efficiently.

According to the ministry, implementation of the interoperability platform is expected to improve access to health information for patients, healthcare professionals and policymakers by supporting more coordinated service delivery and data-driven decision making.

Officials said successful implementation will require a governance framework that clearly defines data ownership and security responsibilities, alongside digital governance policies that comply with international standards and regulations.

In a recorded message presented during the workshop, Gemechis Melkamu, the ministry's chief executive for digital health, said the initiative also calls for the establishment of national master registries to support integrated data management.

These include a Master Facility Registry (MFR) for health facilities, a Master Patient Index (MPI) and a Health Workforce Registry (HWR), which are intended to serve as core components of the country's digital health architecture.

The ministry presented the Health Information Exchange Blueprint to stakeholders during the workshop to gather technical feedback before moving to the implementation phase.

The initiative is part of Ethiopia's efforts to modernise public service delivery through interoperable digital infrastructure, with the health sector identified as one of the priority areas under the Digital Ethiopia 2030 strategy.

Source: FSX Business News