The provincial department of health is on a mission to improve its information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure to have 100% connectivity for all its institutions by 2019.
It will cost R150-million to achieve a smart and modernised department in 13 hospitals and 300 clinics across the province.
Health spokesman Siyanda Manana said: “The integration of health systems such as X-ray equipment will enable clinicians to digitally scan a patient, thereby also empowering the attending clinician to access the digital images from anywhere in the hospital, and also from any workstation that is connected to the network.”
He said information would also be used by managers at facilities to make informed decisions as routine data would be collected, collated and processed monthly on a web-based health information system.
Further perks will be felt by administration end-users who will be able to make use of electronic processing for goods, items and services such as the ordering of drugs using the electronic pharmaceutical system, Manana said.
During the 2015-16 financial year the department had achieved 65% of what it needed to do to see the realisation of the project.
“The process is ongoing and it is envisaged that by the end of the 2016-17 financial year the percentage of progress should be at 90% completion,” he said.
Clinicians will improve service delivery to patients as access to ICT will allow them to access data regarding patients in real-time, therefore reducing the time spent with a patient and assisting the patient to spend less time at a health facility.
Managers will also have access to precise statistics from their facilities derived from the health information systems they make use of.
This will also assist in sharpening the services they provide to meet needs.
The department has partnered with the Eastern Cape Socio Economic Consultative Council to achieve this.
Some of the projects, such as M-Health – a patient electronic registration system which is being piloted at Cecilia Makiwane Hospital – have already shown positive impact in the management and improvement of waiting times.
Frere Hospital has also started using a health kiosk, which allows greater interactivity between clinicians, various departments and patient information at the hospital.
R150m health connectivity plan
It will cost R150-million to achieve a smart and modernised department in 13 hospitals and 300 clinics across the province.
Health spokesman Siyanda Manana said: “The integration of health systems such as X-ray equipment will enable clinicians to digitally scan a patient, thereby also empowering the attending clinician to access the digital images from anywhere in the hospital, and also from any workstation that is connected to the network.”
He said information would also be used by managers at facilities to make informed decisions as routine data would be collected, collated and processed monthly on a web-based health information system.
Further perks will be felt by administration end-users who will be able to make use of electronic processing for goods, items and services such as the ordering of drugs using the electronic pharmaceutical system, Manana said.
During the 2015-16 financial year the department had achieved 65% of what it needed to do to see the realisation of the project.
“The process is ongoing and it is envisaged that by the end of the 2016-17 financial year the percentage of progress should be at 90% completion,” he said.
Clinicians will improve service delivery to patients as access to ICT will allow them to access data regarding patients in real-time, therefore reducing the time spent with a patient and assisting the patient to spend less time at a health facility.
Managers will also have access to precise statistics from their facilities derived from the health information systems they make use of.
This will also assist in sharpening the services they provide to meet needs.
The department has partnered with the Eastern Cape Socio Economic Consultative Council to achieve this.
Some of the projects, such as M-Health – a patient electronic registration system which is being piloted at Cecilia Makiwane Hospital – have already shown positive impact in the management and improvement of waiting times.
Frere Hospital has also started using a health kiosk, which allows greater interactivity between clinicians, various departments and patient information at the hospital.
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