Electronic records, mobile appointments to revolutionise medical services

Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony announced a healthcare initiative on Friday that will transform medical services in the country. He revealed that the Health Ministry is gearing up to implement progressive measures to enhance healthcare access and efficiency.
One of the key initiatives is the establishment of an electronic health record system, set to be introduced soon. Dr Anthony said in a month or two, calls will be made for proposals to implement this system.
He emphasised that this system will pave the way for a seamless and centralised healthcare database, ensuring that every individual seeking medical treatment in the public sector will have their medical records securely stored in one place.
In a significant move to safeguard patient data, a Data Protection Bill was presented in Parliament on Thursday. The Bill aims to uphold the confidentiality of medical records generated through the electronic health record system. Any unauthorized breach of patient information will be met with severe consequences, including financial penalties amounting to millions of dollars.
“If anybody breaches confidentiality, the fines start at 20 million dollars, and it goes up to 100 million dollars. That’s how seriously we would like to take this whole issue of confidentiality”, he said.
Further, in a bid to enhance accessibility and reduce waiting times, the Health Ministry plans to launch a mobile appointment system. Patients will be able to schedule appointments with doctors and healthcare facilities using their smartphones, eliminating the need for physical visits or long queues at hospitals.
“Once we start this electronic health record, somebody will be able to go on their smartphone, make an appointment at the hospital so that you cut down waiting time … the problem we have now is that we have to wait a long time for them to find your paper file… but you will be given a smart card…” he said.
The Minister explained that the mobile appointment system will be a game-changer for healthcare in Guyana. He said it will empower citizens to take control of their health, enabling them to make appointments conveniently and efficiently.
As part of this digital healthcare transformation, each patient will receive a smart card. This smart card will serve as a secure access key, allowing healthcare professionals to retrieve the patient’s medical history effortlessly, resulting in more accurate diagnoses and tailored treatment plans.
The initiative underscores the collective effort to improve the overall health and well-being of all Guyanese citizens.
Only a few days ago, the Guyana Government announced that they will be injecting $100 million into every administrative region to address staffing accommodation across the sector. This is to create a world-class healthcare system with proper infrastructure for Guyanese.
This was announced by Dr Anthony during the Regional Health Officer’s Meeting – organised to foster a collaborative approach between the Administration and its healthcare partners to effectively deliver healthcare across the regions of Guyana.
He outlined that over the last two years, each region would have received $100 million to address infrastructure and other shortfalls. This is separate from the regional budgetary allocation.
Attention has revolved around primary healthcare, where consultants from the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) would have analysed the system and recommended 216 areas of intervention. To do this, he recognised that infrastructure, human resources, and equipment deficit were important aspects to be revamped.
The Government intends to bolster the primary healthcare programme in such a way that patients can be treated at health posts, rather than being referred to hospitals for most illnesses. By the end of the month, 19 telemedicine sites will also come onstream to push this initiative. (G9)