PRIM Zambia Adds a Voice to the Digital Space

By PRIM Zambia Communications Team

Digital health is often discussed in terms of infrastructure, servers, and software. But in Zambia, the true measure of digital health maturity isn't found in a data center—it's found in the hands of the community health worker in Petauke, the data clerk in Lusaka, and the district medical officer in Northern Province.

This year, PRIM Zambia is stepping into a pivotal role to ensure that those local voices shape the national narrative. Through a landmark case study sponsored by the Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) and facilitated by the Global Initiative on Digital Health (GIDH) at the World Health Organization (WHO), PRIM Zambia is leading the charge to assess where Zambia truly stands on its digital health journey.

The Mission: Learning from Global Trailblazers

The project, titled "Zambia Digital Health Transformation Case Study," is part of the Healthwise investment approved in November 2023. Its ambition is clear: to accelerate the digital transformation of healthcare systems worldwide by leveraging learnings from India—a global trailblazer in digital health—and adapting them to the Zambian context.

GIDH provides strategic tools like the Country Needs Tracker and the Transformation Toolbox. However, tools alone cannot guarantee success. They must be tested against reality. That is where PRIM Zambia comes in. As the implementing partner on the ground, PRIM Zambia is tasked with conducting a comprehensive assessment that goes beyond technical checklists to understand human impact.

Phase 1: Listening Before Measuring (November 2025 – March 2026)

The first phase of the project is a Foundational Assessment. While high-level policy reviews are standard, PRIM Zambia is ensuring the process is deeply participatory. The goal is to assess how GIDH facilitation supports countries in articulating needs, mobilizing resources, and adopting tools.

PRIM Zambia's approach adds a critical layer of depth to this phase:

• Human-Centered Data Collection: Beyond desk reviews of national policies and Smart Zambia agreements, PRIM Zambia is conducting Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with implementers and end-users. This ensures that the people actually using the systems have a say in how their usability is scored.

• Stakeholder Mapping: By identifying actors across government, WHO, CIFF, and technical partners, PRIM Zambia is creating a clear picture of who is involved and where gaps in collaboration exist.

• WHO Tool Scoring: Using a structured 1–5 scoring matrix adapted from the WHO Digital Health Atlas, PRIM Zambia is systematically evaluating tools on relevance, usability, integration, data quality, and sustainability. This isn't just a technical audit; it's a quality assurance process driven by local evidence.

• Validation Workshops: Findings aren't kept in a vacuum. Through Maturity Scoring & Validation Workshops, PRIM Zambia brings stakeholders together to triangulate data, ensuring the final maturity score reflects a shared truth rather than a top-down assumption.

Phase 2: Effectiveness and Scale-Up Readiness (September - December 2027)

The second phase will focus on:

• Pre-post evaluations to measure improvements in tool usage and outcomes

• WHO Scale-Up Readiness Assessments using global checklists

• Follow-up tool scoring to track progress over time

• Peer learning documentation to contribute Zambia's lessons to the GIDH Transformation Toolbox

Why This Matters

Digital health promises to transform healthcare delivery, but only if tools are designed with users in mind. Too often, digital solutions fail because they don't account for local contexts, infrastructure limitations, or the needs of frontline workers.

PRIM Zambia's participatory approach ensures that:

• Maturity scores reflect real-world functionality, not just technical specifications

• Community voices influence national digital health policy

• Zambia's experience contributes to global knowledge while remaining rooted in local priorities

Expected Outcomes

This assessment will:

1. Provide evidence to guide investment decisions in digital health

2. Inform policy refinement and strategic planning

3. Identify successful pilots ready for national scale-up

4. Strengthen Zambia's contribution to WHO's 'triple billion' targets

5. Advance progress toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC)

By grounding global frameworks in Zambian realities, PRIM Zambia is ensuring that digital health transformation serves people—not the other way around.