To understand how these ambulances are being used and what other steps could be taken to improve emergency service delivery, Pulse Lab Kampala developed a digital application called Cheetah Tracker. The tool, implemented with the Ministry of Health and Enabel, Belgium’s Development Agency, uses Global Positioning Systems (GPS) data to provide analytics on transport-related aspects of health service delivery through a user-friendly dashboard and SMS/email alerts.

1. The application allows the real-time tracking of vehicles
and generates reports and alerts on the use of public
ambulances in West Nile and Rwenzori. Good practices
and results are determined by a set of performance
indicators defined by the Ministry of Health and
district-level partners.
Prior to the regional introduction of the GPS application,
Pulse Lab Kampala launched a beta version in Kampala.
Data generated from the trial (software was installed in
two ambulances and six other vehicles in Kampala)
enabled the Lab to design and run the software,
customizing it specifically for the Ministry of Health.
GPS systems were installed in 26 ambulances in West Nile
and Rwenzori and SIM cards provide high-speed and
secure data transmission. This means end-users can track
each ambulance in real-time and determine specifics
about the vehicle: like the amount of fuel used or the top
speed reached, or how the ambulance was used and in
what manner.
REAL-TIME PERFORMANCE MONITORING
AMBULANCE APPLICATION FOR
IMPROVING PUBLIC SERVICE
DELIVERY IN UGANDA
In Uganda, it is common for women to die during labour
because they have no help at home or cannot reach a
health facility in time. As a response, the Government of
Belgium donated ambulances to medical facilities in the
Rwenzori and West Nile sub-regions of Uganda,
providing pregnant women with access to transportation
and assistance so they can reach the hospital in time and
have a safe delivery.
To compliment these efforts, the Government of Belgium,
Pulse Lab Kampala, the Ugandan Ministry of Health,
Enabel and United Nations partners, developed a pilot
application that monitors and evaluates in real-time how
ambulances are used. Often, vehicles move goods they
shouldn’t, park for long hours at non-health facilities, or
transport people who aren’t ill. Global Positioning
Systems (GPS) trackers are installed in the vehicles to
provide real-time analytics on these aspects of health
service delivery.

2. My first impression of the application was
“efficiency;” in terms of using limited resources for
effect service delivery in Uganda. It has the potential
to improve the accessibility of ambulance services in
hard to reach locations. Other possible benefits
include cost effectiveness in rural health facilities
and saving the lives of people who use the
ambulance service, especially mothers and children.
Knowing where the ambulance is, the speed drives
at and what time is an amazing initiative. We hope it
will help in the effective coordination of our
emergency vehicles and services.
Ms. Maria N. Nkalubo –
Principal Operations Officer, EMS at Ministry of Health of Uganda
After seeing the software in action, district and national
health officials started to work closely with Pulse Lab
Kampala on the creation of updated versions of the
ambulance application in order to track all emergency
vehicles in districts across Uganda.
Provided enough resources are secured, other potential
uses of the application include adding new SMS alerts for
district staff and health officials. This will allow them to
receive a text message in real-time to report on the status
and usage of the ambulances.
HOW THE APPLICATION WORKS
SCALING UP THE APPLICATION
”
EARLY WARNING
Alerts are generated when an ambulance is misused.
The alert allows for immediate action by observers.
EVALUATION
The software generates reports on the use of ambulance
for any time frame, as selected by the end-user.
MONITORING
Medical staff and those in charge of dispatching ambulances
can know the exact position of the vehicle, at all times.
A flagship initiative of the United Nations Secretary-General on Big Data, Global Pulse envisions a future where data is harnessed safely and responsibly.
Global Pulse and its labs are accelerating the innovation, development and adoption of Big Data for sustainable development and humanitarian action.
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