Building a Paperless Future: eCHIS Paperless Woreda Creation Training Conducted in Gondar, Bahir Dar, Assosa, Injibara, Debre Markos and Debre Birhan
CDHi, Gondar, Ethiopia, 11 November 2025 – Ethiopia continues to advance its national digital health transformation agenda through the electronic Community Health Information System (eCHIS) initiative, which aims to establish paperless health facilities and paperless Woredas across the country. Ethiopia’s eCHIS implementation exemplifies this approach by digitizing community health records, improving data flow, and enhancing the responsiveness of local health management structures. The system’s ability to generate timely, accurate data supports evidence-based interventions, resource allocation, and monitoring of health service delivery performance at all administrative levels.
As part of this effort, the CDHi- Center for Digital Health and Implementation Science at the University of Gondar conducted comprehensive training sessions in Bahir Dar, Assosa, Gondar, Injibara, Debre Markos, and Debre Birhan, strengthening the digital health skills and capacity of Health Extension Workers, other frontline health staff, and local health officers.
The eCHIS Paperless Woreda initiative, implemented under the leadership of the Ministry of Health with technical support from CDHi at the University of Gondar, represents a major step forward in ensuring that community-level health data management is fully digitized, efficient, and reliable. To date, 100 Woredas have been identified nationwide for the transition to paperless systems. Out of these, 27 Woredas in the Amhara and Benishangul-Gumuz regions have been prioritized for cascading under the current phase of implementation led by CDHi.
Training and Capacity Building Across Regions
During this round, eight Woredas completed the eCHIS paperless Woreda creation training, marking another significant milestone in Ethiopia’s ongoing digital health transformation journey. The training brought together health professionals and Health Extension Workers (HEWs) from both the Amhara and Benishangul-Gumuz regions.
Altogether, the participants from these eight woredas gained vital knowledge and hands-on experience with eCHIS for paperless health data management, setting a strong foundation for expanding Ethiopia’s network of digitally enabled, data-driven primary healthcare systems.
The intensive training brought together HEWs and other health professionals from the participating woredas. Participants engaged in both theoretical and hands-on sessions that focused on enhancing digital literacy, mastering data entry and synchronization, navigating the eCHIS platform, and applying data for informed decision-making. The training aimed to strengthen participants’ capacity to manage, analyze, and use health data electronically, moving away from traditional paper-based reporting systems that often hindered data timeliness, accuracy, and overall quality.
“As CDHi, we aim to empower health workers to collect, manage, and use health data efficiently by applying digital tools. Our focus goes beyond technology, it is about building a culture of accountability, promoting meaningful data use, and ultimately improving health outcomes and service delivery in our communities.”
Practical Learning and Post-Training Support
The training sessions emphasized practical exercises that allowed participants firsthand experience with the eCHIS application. Trainees practiced registering households, updating client information, recording community health services, and synchronizing data with the central system.
Following the training, CDHi has initiated supportive supervision to ensure continuous mentorship and monitoring of system utilization at health post levels. This ongoing technical support is critical to maintaining data accuracy, system reliability, maturity, and user confidence as Ethiopia scales up its paperless health data ecosystem.
A Collaborative National Effort
The eCHIS initiative is being implemented through a strong partnership involving the Ministry of Health, CDHi- Center for Digital Health and Implementation Science at the University of Gondar and RHBs. This collaborative approach ensures a smooth, inclusive transition to paperless health information management aligned with Ethiopia’s broader Digital Health journey.
The recent trainings in Gondar, Injibara, Debr Markos, Bahir Dar, Debre Birhan, and Assosa are part of the effort to equip health workers with the tools and skills necessary for sustainable digital transformation. Similar capacity-building activities are planned in the coming months as the initiative expands to additional regions and woredas.
“This marks another important milestone in our journey toward a fully digital and data-driven health system. Through eCHIS, we are building a foundation for more responsive, equitable, and efficient health service delivery in Ethiopia.”
CDHi’s commitment to strengthening its Health Information System through eCHIS is a major step toward realizing a paperless, data-driven health sector. The successful completion of the recent training underscores CDHi’s dedication to empowering frontline workers and modernizing health data management – ensuring that every decision is informed by accurate, timely, and accessible information!
