Open source Health Insurance Management Information System (OpenIMIS)

Worldwide, 150 million people suffer from catastrophic health expenditures every year and among them, 100 million people are pushed into poverty because of health-related out-of-pocket payments. Gradual expansion of health coverage and financial protection to more population segments is essential. Many low and middle-income countries are developing different types of social health protection schemes. Operationalising bigger funds with national outreach or expanding smaller schemes require reliable and cost-effective Information Communication Technology (ICT)-based information management systems. Yet, most of these countries do not have sufficient financial and technical capacity to implement, customise and manage complex ICT systems.

openIMIS is a Swiss-developed Digital Public Good with a strong, supportive community of practice to help manage the complex processes within social (health) protection schemes. openIMIS is a practical open-source tool to help achieve the vision of Universal Health Coverage (UHC). It contributes to advancing the 2030 Agenda, which pledges to “Leave no one behind”. As a software, openIMIS provides a digital link between patients, health providers, and payer institutions. As a community of practice, the openIMIS initiative allows for exchange of implementation experiences of openIMIS, as well as wider discussions around social (health) protection and its best practices.

The openIMIS initiative aspires to make the openIMIS software available and accessible to as many users as possible. The software was initially launched in Tanzania in 2012 and is now in use in 8 countries for 10 health and social protection schemes. The total number of beneficiaries supported by schemes using openIMIS has increased from 5 million in 2020 to over 10 million in 2023. 

Expected results:  

1. Scheme operators in 20 partner countries use openIMIS to manage their social programmes
2. The openIMIS software is available for 6 additional social protection schemes

Results from previous phases:  

• In Nepal, the Social Health Insurance has increased of more than 2 Mio beneficiaries between September 2020 and November 2022
• In Tanzania, the Community Health Fund has increased by 1.5 Mio beneficiaries between September 2019 and October 2021
• New openIMIS implementations were initiated with a variety of financial and technical support partners e.g., in Niger, Mauritania, and Zanzibar
• A strategic collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO) has been signed and has facilitated negotiation with countries interested in introducing openIMIS
• The Catalytic Implementation Fund (set up with an initial volume of 1 Mio EUR in 2020) has helped to support feasibility studies to introduce openIMIS in Cameroon, DRC South Kivu, Bangladesh, and Nigeria’s Kaduna state and eventually accelerated implementation and interoperability of multiple schemes in Cameroon