How can partners contribute to HMN?
Technical inputs
The power of HMN derives from the depth and range of its partners and the technical resources they bring to the network. HMN partners, whether recipient countries, donors, development agencies, or technical experts, can contribute to HMN's goals and objectives by sharing and disseminating experiences and collaborating together as communities of shared practice. By linking with other networks and partnerships involved in health information, such as RHINO and Paris21, HMN can extend its reach and both draw upon and contribute to such initiatives. By forging alliances with major consumers of health information, in particular global health initiatives such as GFATM, GAVI and the President's Initiative, HMN can ensure that countries and programmes benefit from coherent and consistent technical support.
Financial inputs
Sound information does not come cheaply. On the other hand, decisions based on weak or incorrect data can be very costly. Strengthening country health information systems, especially in low-income country settings, will require long-term, sustained financial and technical commitments. Many of the needed resources are already available especially in-country but need to be effectively and efficiently used. Although HMN benefits from significant funding at the global level, this is only a fraction of the total needed in developing countries to ensure the availability and quality of sound data for decision-making. Most of the resources needed for health information systems development and strengthening will come from internal resources and/ or from external development partners. Among donors and global health initiatives there is increasing momentum toward supporting HIS development undera coherent and harmonized initiative, radically different from the separate and poorly aligned support to individual projects that has characterized past efforts.