A major driver of successful medical negligence cases against the Eastern Cape Health Department is its poor record-keeping, making it impossible for it to defend cases in court.
In an editorial, the Daily Dispatch says the department's contingent liability stands at about R22bn, an amount described by the auditor-general’s office as “unmanageable”.
The AG’s office said earlier this year there was “near non-existent use of information technology in the administration of medicines, while patient information was still being recorded manually”.
The editorial says that given the hundreds of millions it has spent on digitising its patient records the question arises: how is this possible?
In 2021, to much fanfare, former Health MEC Nomakhosazana Meth launched the electronic hospital management system known as HMS2.
It meant a paperless world in which all patients records were digitised. It would promote continuity of care, no matter to which provincial hospital the patient was admitted. A simple press of the right button would produce that patient’s medical information.
It marked the end of the days where patient records could be lost or stolen. Not only would it improve patient care but also the ability of the department to access those records when it had to defend itself against accusations of negligence.
From time to time, the department updated the public on the system – which was to roll out across the province.
By 2022, it said that Frere Hospital, where the design and development started, had “the full suite of HMS2 applications operating”.
In August the same year, Cecilia Makiwane Hospital went live with the system, joining “the nine hospitals in the western region (of the Eastern Cape)” where it had been successfully rolled out. Nelson Mandela Central Academic Hospital, Bedford Orthopaedic and Mthatha Regional Hospital joined the system the same year.
“Our journey of digitalisation and eHealth as we re-imagine health and care in the Eastern Cape is truly under way,” the department said three years ago.
By 2025, four years later, one would have expected Frere Hospital to now be completely digital and paper-free.
However, the Dispatch has now found that vital medical files are still routinely lost or misplaced, forcing doctors to treat chronic patients without access to their full medical history.
The department admits this leads to treatment delays, repeat consultations, and unnecessary duplication of tests.
Inevitably, it will also lead to more medical negligence cases and contribute to the department’s inability to defend them. The spiral into decay and disaster continues.
Department head Dr Rolene Wagner, who set HMS2 in motion, owes the province an explanation about how much has been spent on this system, the implementation of which seems non-existent, noted the editorial.
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
Rolene Wagner back in the hot seat in the Eastern Cape
Eastern Cape MEC hit with another negligence claim