NGO calls for sustainability of emergency operation centers in PHCs

A non-governmental organisation, eHealth Africa (eHA) has called for sustainability of emergency operation centers, renewable energy integration and digital innovation in primary health care.

Executive Director of eHealth Africa, Atef Fawaz said this during the International Conference on Primary Health Care (ICPHC 2025) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The conference which was attended by global leaders was aimed at driving conversations on digital transformation, public health infrastructure sustainability, renewable energy for better healthcare delivery and health system resilience across Africa.

Themed “Advancing Primary Health Care in the 21st Century: Putting People First,” the event brought together thought leaders and innovators committed to strengthening primary health care and achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

Speaking on eHealth Africa’s participation, Fawaz, noted that the theme of this year’s ICPHC aligned with the organisation’s mission of building human-centered solutions to advance primary healthcare in underserved communities.

In a statement signed by the Communications Manager, eHealth Africa, Favour Oriaku, Fawaz said: “At eHealth Africa, we believe technology and data should serve people.

“This is the rationale behind the interventions like establishment of emergency operation centers, renewable energy for primary healthcare, climate resilient digital solutions and smart tools for vaccination campaigns, which were all presented to partners at the ICPHC.”

Highlighting the importance of sustainability and local ownership especially for the public health emergency operation centers across Africa, Kazeem Balogun, Deputy Director, Supply Chain Management for eHealth Africa said: “We must see Emergency Operation Centers not just as polio infrastructure, but as integrated public health command centers.

“Our goal is to build systems governments can sustain not donor-driven facilities, but national assets embedded within primary health care structures.”

Sharing the overview of the establishment of Emergency Operation Centers that kicked off from Nigeria to over 24 African countries, Anthony Edozieuno, Program Manager for Public Health Emergency Management at eHealth Africa said, what began in Nigeria has evolved into a multi-country model that strengthens emergency coordination across Africa.

This according to him is a true testament to shared learning and partnership.

Temitayo Tella-Lah, Program Manager Climate Adaptation in Health, Food Security and Nutrition showcased eHealth Africa’s Climate Health Vulnerability Assessment Tool (CHAT); a digital platform helping governments, stakeholders and primary healthcare facilities to assess vulnerabilities to climate change.

Tella-Lah said: “CHAT helps decision-makers move from awareness to action. It enables countries to identify risks, design climate-resilient health interventions, and protect communities before crises occur.

“Developed to strengthen evidence-based climate adaptation planning at the national and subnational level, CHAT represents a practical step toward integrating climate intelligence into health system decision-making and advancing climate-resilient primary healthcare delivery.”

Similarly, Abubakar Shehu, Program Manager for Disease Prevention and Monitoring, showcased eHealth Africa’s PlanFeld solution; a digital microplanning solution transforming vaccination logistics.

“With Planfeld, we’ve cut microplanning time from five days to just ten minutes.

“It ensures equitable workload distribution, reduces missed settlements, and helps governments make faster, smarter vaccination decisions,” Shehu stated.

Also, Toju Ogele, Project Manager at eHealth Africa called for renewable energy scale-up in primary health care facilities.

According to Ogele, eHealth Africa with the support from GAVI/UNICEF has solarised over 100 Primary Healthcare facilities leading to a surge in patients accessing the healthcare facilities.

Ogele said: “In just 1 PHC, we have seen a surge in patients from 1,300 patients to over 3,000 patients accessing the Health facilities while night deliveries are no longer a problem.

“Transitioning to renewable energy has no doubt also ensured vaccines stay potent, surgeries stay safe, and communities stay healthy.”