26/06/2026
𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵-𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗭𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗮’𝘀 𝗔𝗡𝗖/𝗣𝗠𝗧𝗖𝗧 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲
On 9 June 2026, the Ministry of Health Zambia's Permanent Secretary for Technical Services, Dr Kennedy Lishimpi, convened a high-level meeting to review findings from the 𝗡𝗔𝗠𝗔𝗜 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆, an ANC digitization pilot conducted across 14 facilities in Eastern Province, and how those findings have informed the development of the ANC/PMTCT module now being integrated into , Zambia's national Electronic Health Record (EHR) system.
The session brought together the Ministry of Health, WHO, Population Council, Blue Code Systems, UNFPA, and IHM Southern Africa to answer a critical question: Does the clinical guidance work where it matters most: in the hands of nurses and midwives delivering care? Additionally, it was convened to examine how the findings from the NAMAI app have successfully transitioned into the improved ANC/PMTCT module now integrated into the national system.
Built from WHO SMART Guidelines and Digital Adaptation Kits (DAKs), the module transforms global clinical guidance into real-time decision support at the point of care. It represents the convergence of research, policy, and Zambia’s commitment to reducing maternal and newborn mortality.
IHM Southern Africa’s Clinical Informatics Specialist, Kuwani Banda, demonstrated the module’s core capabilities, including:
1️⃣ Guided ANC workflows aligned to national protocols, ensuring no critical assessment or test is missed.
2️⃣ Automated danger-sign detection that flags risks such as hypertension, bleeding, and indicators of pre-eclampsia, prompting timely intervention.
3️⃣ Real-time clinical decision support that generates recommendations based on patient data, including prompts for iron and folic acid supplementation, tetanus vaccination, HIV and syphilis testing, malaria prevention, and calcium supplementation for mothers at risk of pre-eclampsia.
4️⃣ Integrated PMTCT and PrEP workflows that support HIV screening, maternal ART management, and HIV prevention services within routine antenatal care.
Dr. Lishimpi described the initiative as groundbreaking and catalytic, outlining plans for national scale-up through a full ANC Module launch in July 2026 across all 2,054 health facilities using SmartCare Pro.
This is the DAK journey translated into practice: clinical guidance converted into digital logic, embedded within a live national health system, and validated at the highest level of government.
As Southern Africa, we remain committed to supporting the Ministry of Health in building digital health solutions that strengthen service delivery, improve clinical decision-making, and contribute to better health outcomes for mothers and children across Zambia.
