An upgraded, centralised system for storing patient information – expected to improve service healthcare and quality, and reduce fraud – has been initiated by the Gauteng Department of Health.
The new Health Information System (HIS) is designed to, among other goals, reduce long waiting times in hospitals and community healthcare centres (CHC), said the department.
MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko said the HIS enabled a one-patient, one-file tracking system, and in its current first phase, had already improved patient administration, file management and the referrals process at 37 hospitals and 31 CHCs, reports News24.
Once a patient is registered on the system, a Patient Master Index (PMI) number is generated and used as a unique identifier, and the MEC said the system would also slash theft from public hospitals.
“Previously, people would fraudulently collect medicine from different hospitals, but with HIS, we can see the patient’s details that are stored on the system. Any of our hospitals will still find this information …. It’s the same as opening a bank card in Johannesburg bank – and the same bank in Mthatha, Eastern Cape, will have your information, and be able to track your history and movements.”
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