–GPHC headed to full digitisation by mid-2027, CEO says
WITH the information infrastructure already in place and work actively ongoing to map documents across 74 departments, the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) is anticipating full digitisation of patient records by mid-2027.
This is according to the hospital’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Robbie Rambarran, who made an appearance on the Starting Point Podcast over the weekend.
“It’s not an easy task. It’s Georgetown Hospital. It’s very complex. As you know, there are lots of departments, there are actually 74 different departments in the hospital.”
Rambarran noted that the task is no easy feat, but the aim is ultimately to address the redundancies that often arise due to manual paper trails.
“First, we have to do a process; mapping documents…[and] state how we want the system to be. We don’t want to design an electronic health record system with the same manual system that we have,” he said adding:
“There are many areas that we can improve. There are many redundancies that happen because of our paper trail and documentation, but it will make the system more lean, more logical, more coordinated.”
He noted that the software being used is generic and will have to be customised to fit the needs of the Georgetown facility.
“We have revised that, so we’re looking at about two years, two and a half years. So, let’s assume by mid next year we should be able to complete it,” Rambarran said, noting that the IT infrastructure has already been completed.
To ensure proper implementation, he noted that there is a whole framework of implementation, a governance committee, a steering committee, and an advisory committee at every different segment of the operation.
“What takes the time is actually designing that software that meets our needs, and [ensuring] it’s lean, it’s efficient, staff friendly, and patient friendly as well,” he added.
Once completed and fully operational, Guyanese across the country will be able to access their medical records and medical test results directly from their mobile devices.
The digitisation agenda is expected to significantly improve the quality of healthcare services by reducing waiting times, streamlining patient movement between departments, and ensuring more efficient access to medical information.
The long-term objective is to establish an interconnected public healthcare system with seamless access to patient records nationwide. The Ministry of Health also plans to collaborate with private healthcare providers to facilitate smoother transfers between the public and private sectors.
FESTIVAL CITY
At the Festival City Polyclinic in Georgetown, the government has successfully implemented electronic medical records.
At the official launch last year, the government also introduced the online patient booking system. Through the system, patients can book appointments and services remotely using a computer or mobile phone, significantly reducing waiting times at the facility.
Among the key benefits of the eHEALTH system are: faster and more coordinated patient care; reduced waiting times at health facilities and strengthened public trust in the secure handling of health data.
