Dear Community,
As noted by Rohan Sir in May 2021 and echoed by various Nepali implementers, the integration of the Nepali Calendar (BS) into DHIS2 remains a significant challenge that is not currently addressed in the DHIS2 roadmap. You can revisit the original discussion here: Nepali Calendar Discussion.
Upon reviewing the documentation, it has become clear that DHIS2’s current handling of date fields (using AD format) does not correspond with how dates are recorded in the Nepali BS system. This discrepancy creates notable challenges for us as implementers, especially when utilizing tracker programs where accurate date records are crucial.
To address this, we see two potential approaches:
- Convert and Store in AD: This method involves converting BS dates into AD format for storage in tracker programs or during aggregate data entry, aligning with the DHIS2 UI calendar format. While this ensures compatibility, it complicates our daily operations.
- Change Date Fields to Char: An alternative is to modify date-related fields (such as incident, event, TEI, and enrollment dates) to character fields instead of date fields. This allows us to store dates directly in BS format without needing conversion.
Currently, we are leaning towards the first approach of converting and storing dates in AD for the tracker program. We are also developing a separate application to convert AD dates back to BS for data exchange and aggregation.
DHIS2 Amakomaya Nepal.
I would like to refer to a previous post highlighting the challenges we faced during the fresh installation concerning the Nepali calendar settings: Challenge with Nepali Calendar Setting.
However, it is important to note that neither of these approaches fully utilizes the calendar feature available in DHIS2, which limits Nepali implementers’ ability to optimize the system effectively.
I invite your thoughts and insights on the best way forward. If we do not address these challenges promptly, future DHIS2 implementations using Nepali BS calendar in Nepal may encounter significant setbacks.
Looking forward to your feedback.