Founder and Lead, MaColX

Digital health, data, and delivery for real programmes

Joshua Marius Acolatse, Accra Ghana

I work where information systems meet programme delivery. At Ghana Health Service and through MaColX, I help teams move from scattered data and spreadsheets, to dependable platforms, analytics, and tools that support everyday decisions for public health.

Senior IT Manager, Head - Software Unit, Ghana Health Service
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Joshua Acolatse

Who I am and how I work

My daily work sits between ministry teams, software engineers, and programme managers. I help define what information a programme really needs, then design, build, and operationalise systems that provide that information reliably.

Over the past few years I have led or supported national dashboards, community reporting tools, and data pipelines for Ghana Health Service, the Ministry of Health, and partners. This includes work on community health reporting, COVID 19 analytics, facility assessments, and digital tools for frontline teams.

I care about systems that are simple to use, respectful of data governance, and realistic for the teams that will live with them after the consultants and developers leave.

Focus areas

  • Design and delivery of digital health platforms for routine reporting and decision support.
  • Data engineering and analytics, including forecasting and risk scoring for public health questions.
  • Bringing data from national systems into clear dashboards for managers and programme leads.
  • Mentoring local teams in software practice, analytics, and documentation so that work continues locally.

MaColX in brief

MaColX is a focused practice that supports ministries, implementers, and partners to design and run digital health systems that are reliable, evidence led, and realistic for the field.

Evidence based, no patient identifiers, implementation first
Digital health platforms

Support to design, build, and strengthen platforms that follow national architecture, data ownership, and integration plans, from community reporting to national level dashboards.

Data and analytics

Forecasts, risk scores, and dashboards that use transparent methods, with clear documentation so that programme teams can explain what the numbers mean.

Implementation and delivery

Practical support from idea to production, including user testing, documentation, and training, so that systems remain usable and maintainable after go live.

How projects usually run

Every setting is different, but there are patterns that work well with ministries and partners. The aim is to move from concept to a clear, documented solution that fits existing processes.

  • Start with programme questions and reporting lines, not with tools.
  • Co design with Ghana Health Service and ministry teams so workflows reflect how supervision and reporting really work.
  • Use modern open technology stacks, for example DHIS2, PostgreSQL, secure web frameworks, Python and R for analytics.
  • Plan for handover from day one, with documentation, training materials, and local ownership of code and data flows.
  • Use synthetic or aggregated data in demonstrations, never real patient records or names.

Skills and tools

A mix of software engineering, analytics, and public health experience.

Engineering
PHP, Java, Python, JavaScript, REST APIs, integration work with national systems.
Data and analytics
SQL, Python, R, data modeling, forecasting, Power BI, dashboard design.
Health systems
Routine data, facility assessments, community and primary care reporting, work with DHIS2.
Ways of working
Agile delivery, documentation, mentorship, and long term support options where needed.
Compliance and standards. Work aligns with national data policies and global digital health guidance, including ICD 10 or ICD 11 coding, HL7 FHIR concepts, privacy principles similar to HIPAA, and the World Health Organization digital health guidelines. Demonstrations never use patient identifiable information.

Selected impact

A brief view of work across national dashboards, community tools, and analytics projects.

  • COVID 19 dashboards and planning tools for national and regional teams.
  • Community home visit reporting with alerts for risk and referrals within CHPS zones.
  • Data flows and analytics for facility assessments such as HHFA.
  • Support and mentorship for young developers and analysts working inside the health sector.
Health programmes
20+
National and sub national efforts supported.
Facilities
150+
Sites using digital reporting or dashboards.
Pipelines
10+
Automated data and analytics workflows.
Uptime target
99.7%
Availability goal for core platforms.

Ready to talk about a project or collaboration

Share a short note on your context and what you want to improve. I will respond with a practical view of what is possible, and the first concrete next steps.