Net pic of Dr D Kyabayinze
Excuses of patients’ data getting burnt or destroyed by cockroaches, rats, and white aunts will soon be history in Ugandan hospitals as the government has embarked on electronic records systems.
So far eight regional referral hospitals in the country have obtained electronic medical records systems known as Health Information Systems-HIS, worth 643 million shillings.
HIS equipment has been procured and donated by the Makerere University School of Public Health- Monitoring and Evaluation Technical Support (MAKSPH-METS), with the help of the S Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Dr Daniel Kyabayinze, the Director of Public Health at the Ministry of Health in Kampala, who received the equipment said they will be posted in the regional referral hospitals of Entebbe, Mubende, Masaka, Naguru, Arua, Jinja, Mbarara, and Kabaale.
Kyabayinze said that these systems will be used to enhance disease surveillance and to appropriately protect patients’ data in these referral hospitals, which has been lacking. Because Uganda is susceptible to epidemics and emerging diseases, Kyabayinze explained that there is a need for strict surveillance and monitoring.
“Uganda continues to be on alert for emerging diseases, having real-time data that can be communicated from one hospital to another, is very important. And even patients’ traceability can only be done if we have digital systems,” Kyabayinze said.
0754649086
Paul Mbaka, the Assistant Commissioner in charge of information management at the Ministry of Health, said that the digitalization of hospital data will improve the quality of healthcare service delivery, and ensure surveillance continuity of treated diseases.
Mbaka said the workers at the selected hospital will not struggle to use them because they are most appropriate to use without or without the internet. This is because many parts of the country have unstable internet which would have made their usage somehow difficult.
Mbaka added the ministry in which he serves is engaging telecom companies to provide lower internet rates for health equipment systems, to ensure reliable connection whenever it is required.
“As you know we are introducing health insurance, if you use paper-based mechanisms with it, accountability is impossible, but also just communicating with the hospital is difficult,” Mbaka said.
Dr Amy Boore, the Program Director of Global Health at CDC said that digitized health data is important in comparing trends, helps in quick decision-making, and also improves the quality of the service.