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Opian Health
How we work with governments

Decision systems aligned with how ministries actually work

Opian doesn't disrupt existing processes. We make them faster and measurably better by automating the work planners, clinicians, and logisticians already do.

How we think about the work

Software that respects how governments operate.

Health systems in Ethiopia and across Sub-Saharan Africa have existing planning cycles, data flows, and institutional commitments. We design for alignment, not disruption.

Aligned with existing process

We follow the ministry's forecasting and care pathways, not the other way around. Users don't learn a new way of working.

Real-time, not retrospective

Data moves when collected. Planners see the same numbers facilities see at the same time—and can react before problems compound.

Sovereign by design

Country data stays in-country. Deployments are modular and run with or without cloud dependency. No foreign data extraction.

Built on years of work

ForLab+ has run quarterly supply planning for ~7,000 users across 5,100 facilities since 2022. We know what works.

Interoperability

Works with what you have.

"Inside existing workflows" includes existing systems. Our platforms are API-first and built to exchange data with the national systems ministries already run — not to replace them.

National reporting systems

ForLab+ integrates with national LMIS, DHIS2, and warehouse management systems. Link reports into national DHIS2 pipelines automatically — no month-end spreadsheets.

Insurance and payments

Link connects to CBHI insurance verification and the Chapa payment gateway, so facility billing works the way Ethiopian facilities actually collect fees.

Standards-aligned clinical data

Link's clinical model is FHIR R4-aligned, with terminology governance built around ICD-11 (Ethiopian ESV), LOINC, and SNOMED CT. A conformant FHIR server is on the published roadmap.

Reaches people where they are

SMS pre-triage in Amharic, Afaan Oromo, and English through local gateways — patients and health extension workers connect without smartphones or data plans.

Built for real infrastructure

Designed for the connectivity you actually have.

Rural health posts lose power. District hospitals lose internet. Software that assumes otherwise doesn't survive contact with the field — so we don't assume otherwise.

Offline-first at the facility

Link keeps working without internet. Data is encrypted locally (AES-256) and syncs automatically when connectivity returns — nothing is lost, nothing waits.

Offline in the field

Health extension workers record home visits, danger signs, and referrals on a dedicated field app that works fully offline between villages.

Low-bandwidth by design

ForLab+ collects facility data over the connections facilities actually have, with offline-capable collection for the places that have none.

Runs on your servers

Docker-based deployments run on ministry or hospital infrastructure — on-premise, in-country, with no foreign cloud dependency.

Our position on AI

The AI story is not the model — it's the millions of interactions.

We're not chasing a benchmark. We're building systems where thousands of planners and clinicians make decisions every day — and where every recorded decision makes the next suggestion better material for human judgment.

Judgment stays with people

AI suggests; humans decide. Every clinical action requires explicit clinician confirmation, and every override is respected and recorded.

Deterministic where it matters

Safety-critical decision support runs on governed, versioned rules traceable to national guidelines — not on a model that can drift. AI advisory features operate inside explicit governance boundaries.

The data asset is the moat

Years of structured planning and clinical interactions — owned by ministries, learned from with consent and governance — are worth more than any off-the-shelf model.

Scaling in stages

How we engage with governments

We don't impose a single model. Deployments grow with ministry appetite and capacity — from pilot systems to national scale.

Starter

A contained proof of value — a single programme at sub-national scale, with basic forecasting and standard support. Scope and duration are set with the ministry.

Single programmeLimited geography, proven valueTesting governance and buy-in
Core

Multi-programme rollout with the AI copilot, data-quality tooling, and priority support. Real integration with ministry systems and processes.

Multi-programmeReal-time data pipelinesTraining and change management
National

The full platform across all programmes and supply chain tiers, with a dedicated success manager and service-level agreement — the way ForLab+ runs in Ethiopia today.

Full platform, all programmesMinistry ownershipDedicated support and SLA
Our partnerships

We work with ministries, donors, and implementation partners

No system succeeds alone. We embed Opian systems in the existing institutional landscape.

Ministries of Health

We partner with health ministries as the primary client and decision-maker. They own the data, set the priorities, and define success.

Implementing partners

WHO, EPSS, supply chain NGOs, and local implementers handle training, change management, and on-the-ground integration.

Global funders

Gates Foundation, Global Fund, World Bank, and bilateral donors align funding with ministry-led deployment plans.

Health facilities

Hospitals and health centres are the test bed. Clinicians, logisticians, and pharmacists guide every design choice.

Clear boundaries

What we don't do

Being clear about scope prevents misalignment and keeps us focused on what matters.

We don't replace ministry process

Opian systems follow existing forecasting cycles, planning rhythms, and governance. We make them faster, not different.

We don't extract or own data

Ministry data belongs to the ministry. We don't monetize user activity, create private data lakes, or use facility data for commercial purposes.

We don't rent from foreign clouds

Deployments are sovereign. Opian systems can run on-premise, in-country, or on the ministry's preferred infrastructure. No SaaS lock-in.

We don't promise more than we can deliver

Every stat we cite, every feature we claim, every timeline we set is grounded in what's deployed and working today. No projection theatre.

Ready to talk about bringing this to your health system?

Contact us

Dive deeper into our work

Learn about our team, history, and the thinking behind Opian.