Public health facilities to be digitised by end of year

All health facilities under the Ghana Health Service (GHS) are to be digitised by the end of the year, the Minister of Health, Mr Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, has said.

“By the end of this year, facilities at top levels, including teaching hospitals, regional hospitals and district hospitals will begin to talk to each other. This is the only way we can modernise our society to compete favourably in the global arena,” the minister said, adding that public services become more efficient when records are digitised.

He said the digitisation programme was an important tool of the government to improve efficiency in the health sector.

It would ensure the use of one health folder for patients which can be accessed at any public hospital in any part of the country.

Event

Mr Agyemang-Manu was speaking at the launch of Health Facilities Regulatory Agency (HeFRA’s) assessment standards for inspection and mobile online information system (MOIS) in Accra yesterday.

The MOIS, according to the agency, would increase the efficiency of its operations by streamlining the services of HeFRA.

The platform, which will operate under the web address, www.heframois.com, will, among other features, be used for the submission of applications and relevant documents of health facilities online, enable health facilities to schedule inspection, facilitate the verification and renewal of licences, make online payments, ensure the management of data, statistics and reports.

Mr Agyemang-Manu, who described the creation of the platform as timely, said it would also ensure efficiency while increasing productivity.

He commended HeFRA for responding to the call of digitisation while urging other agencies to emulate the move.

“At the implementation stage, you are likely to experience some challenges in the use of the platform, but with commitment on the part of users and dedication of the technical team to resolve any inherent challenges quickly, it will engender confidence in the system to encourage more people to transact their businesses,” the minister said.

Best practices

For his part, the Registrar of HeFRA, Dr Philip Bannor, said the creation of the platform was in line with international best practices. 

He said the agency’s methods of inspecting healthcare facilities were inadequate, adding that with only eight offices across the country, it became burdensome for managers to travel long distances to offices of HeFRA to transact business with the agency, hence the decision to go digital.

“The revised methods which will reflect the desired level of quality and safety standards of health facilities are expected to ensure quality health delivery,” Dr Bannor added.