Going online: Patients’ database to be launched in all hospitals

IT system to help prepare a complete and authentic data base of patients

LAHORE: The Punjab Health Department is all set to shift manual database system of all teaching hospitals to information technology in phases, said Secretary Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Najam Ahmed Shah.

He was talking to the media after visiting the newly-established online IT registration system for the patients in the Emergency Department of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital on Saturday.

He said that online IT database system would help prepare an authentic and complete data of the patients, nature of the diseases, complete information regarding the availability and provision of medicines and other facilities to the patients.

He said that the database would helpful enhance the capacity and performance of the hospitals, future planning and prepare a strategy to meet the challenges in a befitting manner.

Shah said that data entry IT solutions had been launched in teaching hospitals from Nov 11, 2017. After Children's Hospital Lahore and Mayo Hospital Lahore, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital is the third teaching hospital where online registration of patients coming to the emergency had been started.

The secretary said that after emergency department, online registration and database would be extended to in-patients departments, OPD and pharmacy. He added that all the information regarding the patients and hospitals facilities would be available on the dashboard.

He said that since the launch of the programme, the data shows that 77,000 patients visited the Children's Hospital and Mayo Hospital. He reviewed the data entry system of the emergency.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 3^rd, 2017.