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JAMAICA IS on the cusp of a digital data revolution in healthcare. I was recently at The University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) where my company is implementing the Health Information Management System (HIMS). I was heartened by the enthusiasm of the health workers there when Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton and his team toured the facility to see the progress of digitisation. I was even more pleased to learn that he, too, was excited by what he saw and had plans to fully digitise public health facilities – both hospitals and health centres.

Healthcare is becoming more and more focused on data analysis to assist with, among other things, patient care. Apart from cost saving and efficiency gains, continuity of care and prevention initiatives have been cited as important reasons for healthcare digitisation. Digitisation fulfils the need for precise and timely data from which proper and accurate analysis can be done to aid decision-making.

The opportunities for the development and use of technology in healthcare are vast. Knowing how to apply the technology to make hospitals a consumer-friendly and viable business is important. We are generally a population that is ‘technology suspicious’, and in some cases, downright afraid. This cannot stop us from making the required changes to improve healthcare generally, and the hospital experience, specifically, with technology. I often use the fact that I was told years ago that ATM machines would never work in Jamaica, but look where we are now.

AS PEOPLE become more health conscious, there is a need to increase promotion of their involvement in their own care and give them the means by which to participate. The world has been steadily changing for the last three decades, becoming increasingly dependent on technology. I think I can safely say that in the last ten years, we have experienced an immense explosion of technological creativity and artistry. There is hardly any sector that has not been affected in a positive way by technology.

There is no doubt that the best way to reduce overall healthcare costs is to invest heavily in preventive care. We do seem to understand this, evident in the Government’s ongoing approach of fostering increased physical activity, educating the population about how to prevent and maintain treatment of chronic diseases, and investment made in improving nutrition policies, especially at the early childhood and primary levels.

The minister of health and wellness is forging ahead with legislation for a National Health Insurance Plan (NHIP). The Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CAPRI) recently hosted a public forum to engage citizens on the matter.

The event highlighted some important considerations that are needed to flesh out this vision, including citizen partnership and acceptance, private sector buy-in and partnership, and a requirement for the involvement of technology at all levels of the system.

JAMAICA HAS an excellent cadre of skilled professionals in emergency and general medical care. However, over the years, we continue to face significant problems with attaining an acceptable transportation system for emergency and non-emergency care.

Over and over, we hear complaints about the lack of ambulances to serve communities. Many Jamaicans would tell you that it makes no sense to call an ambulance from the public sector. More often than not, none is available and private ambulances come at a relatively high cost.

AIS Education Scholarship

Scholarship Requirements

Advanced Integrated Systems will be awarding a scholarship to a needy student for the school year beginning August/September 2019.

The requirements are as follows:

WITH THE direction in which health and technology are going, it would be prudent for the issue of ownership and access to medical records to be worked out once and for all. With pertinent restrictions of course, access to medical records needs to be less prohibitive to the patient.

The number of preventable deaths each year is staggering.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 7.8 million people die of hypertension, 5.4 million die from smoking tobacco, 3.8 million from malnutrition, 3 million from STDs, 2.5 million from overweight and obesity, 2.8 million from poor diet, 2 million from physical inactivity and 1.9 million from alcohol.