Newsletter April 2021

For five years, openIMIS has been connecting innovative people, information systems and digital technologies to bring universal health coverage and social protection closer to people around the world. What began as a management information system for a community health insurance scheme has evolved into an internationally recognized open-source software capable of managing a variety of schemes. We saw that this tool had the potential to address a common challenge – and worked to bring the right combination of innovators, implementers and funders together to help it to grow.  

We are a community 
openIMIS is developed and supported by a global community of developers and implementers. Programmers, scheme operators and implementers from around the world offer ideas and come up with modifications which make openIMIS easier to use and more versatile in its applications. Everyone can contribute – and everyone benefits. 
  
We build on what exists 
No more re-inventing the wheel: the time for developing individual solutions to common challenges is over. openIMIS believes in building on what exists – learning from what others have done, taking it further and sharing it widely. Co-creation not only saves time, resources and effort, but generates innovative, high-quality results. 
  
We believe in interoperability 
openIMIS can work alone but is at its best when it’s part of a larger digital ecosystem. Because it’s been built according to industry standards for interoperability, openIMIS can seamlessly exchange data with other systems. To achieve Universal Health Coverage and Universal Social Protection, this ability to work across information systems is essential. 
  
We stand for versatility 
Although we started out as a digital solution for health financing, we’ve become much more openIMIS’s core functionalities are applicable to many use cases, from other types of insurance schemes to cash transfer programs. openIMIS is simple, user-friendly and adaptable.
 

Join us as we write the next chapter of openIMIS – together!

As a technical peer you can join the Technical Advisory Group, e.g. for digital health, health financing, social protection and will be included in mailing lists for updates and requests on specific technical issues. 
 
As an implementer you can join openIMIS and your expertise and knowledge will help users and scheme operators to get started and maintain openIMIS to manage their health financing schemes. You can also engage in the implementer committee and their regular calls.  
 
As an open-source initiative, openIMIS is constantly seeking to expand its community of software developers. The openIMIS tool allows you to re-use and build upon existing workflows and relieving you from having to reinvent the wheel. 
 

Virtual timeline, testimonials, slogan for the anniversary campaign  

 As part of the openIMIS 5th Anniversary campaign, we would like to look back on what we have achieved throughout the years. Rather than just capturing technical advances and numbers related to the software, lets also focus on those who brought us there – the community. Show us your highlights and memories linked to openIMIS – whether these document funny situations with the community, bold strikes in implementations at place or your eye-opening moments in software development. There are three ways how you can contribute: 
  

1. Upload your memories (storys, pictures, or videos) here or send them to us by mail. Due to private policy guidelines please also fill out this declaration of consent and send it to [email protected]. We will coordinate and post the files on sutori.com, an interactive timeline. 
2. Give us a personal testimonial via this openIMIS wiki page. Just follow the instructions there. If you want to know how a testimonial will look like, you can check it out here.
3. The openIMIS 5th Anniversary needs a catchy slogan! Please help us to come up with something that will guide us through the campaign. Get more info's and enter your ideas here.