Kenya's health care system suffers from a critical shortage of skilled health workers and managers. The goal of the Capacity Project's work in Kenya is to increase the ability of the public health sector to rapidly mobilize qualified health workers as well as strengthen long-term human resources for health planning and management. A strong human resources information system (HRIS) is a key factor in achieving both of these goals.
Because the software code for iHRIS Qualify and Manage was released under an Open Source license, and is therefore freely available for anyone to modify, local developers in Kenya have been able to adapt the software to meet the country's specific needs. Building on the iHRIS architecture, they have designed an HRIS with six modules: staffing, payroll, performance management, discipline, training and pension. The modules will be developed in two phases. The phase one modules -- staffing, payroll and training -- are complete and implementation is under way. The Ministry of Health will initially use this customized HRIS to manage data from Kenya's Emergency Hiring Plan, implemented in conjunction with the Capacity Project.
The local developers will contribute their customized code back to the Capacity Project, where it can also be released under an Open Source license, as well as used to improve the core iHRIS software. This collaborative effort demonstrates the benefits of Open Source. In-country programmers have the freedom to modify the software to suit their needs, without having to rely on assistance from the Capacity Project. In return, they contribute their modifications back to the Project to benefit the entire community of iHRIS users.