Pointe-Noire workshop to modernize cancer reporting
Around 40 data collection agents and focal points from the Pointe-Noire department have been taking part since January 20 in a training workshop on the KoboCollect software, aimed at digitizing information related to cancer.
The session is being held in the coastal city through January 24, according to the Congolese Information Agency (ACI). Organizers say the goal is to move from paper-based routines to faster, more structured digital reporting.
National Cancer Control Program sets public health priorities
Judith Nsondé Malanda, director of the National Cancer Control Program, said the initiative responds to a public health need and seeks to modernize Congo’s system for epidemiological monitoring of cancer.
“Cancer remains a public health challenge given the many cases recorded in our country, above the international norm. To fight it effectively, we can no longer navigate by sight. We need numbers, precision and responsiveness,” Nsondé said at the workshop’s opening (ACI).
KoboCollect promises faster, real-time data flow
Nsondé said KoboCollect should make it easier to collect data using mobile devices directly at patients’ bedsides or during consultations, while enabling instant synchronization so information from Pointe-Noire’s health facilities can be centralized in real time.
For participants, the shift is expected to reduce delays between a consultation and the availability of usable figures for program managers, while improving consistency in the way cases are recorded across different sites.
Officials link digital tools to smarter health policy
Dimitry Moundiongui Mboungou, head of screening and epidemiological surveillance at the National Cancer Control Program, emphasized that cancer is a major public health issue globally and that Congo is also concerned.
“These data will make it possible to guide our health policies in the fight against this pathology, which is a real burden in our families,” Mboungou said, framing the digital transition as a practical step toward better-informed decision-making (ACI).
Training mixes rules, methods and hands-on exchange
Organizers said the first day, focused on theory, covered the work charter and the digitization of data collection. The sessions prompted discussions between participants and trainers, reflecting a shared interest in how the new tool will be used in day-to-day settings.
By pairing guidance on procedures with software practice, the workshop aims to align field routines with the program’s expectations for completeness and reliability of reporting, according to the information released by ACI.
Congo strengthens epidemiological sovereignty on cancer
The initiative is presented as part of Congolese health authorities’ broader effort to strengthen the country’s “epidemiological sovereignty” through more comprehensive registration and follow-up of new cancer cases.
In the view of program leaders, building a stronger dataset is not only technical work. It is also a way to support planning, improve coordination among facilities, and respond more quickly as trends emerge in Pointe-Noire’s health network.