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For years, we have been hearing of the inability of the Government and researchers to get adequate information on cancer in Jamaica.

Sure, a registry exists, but the information it contains is apparently only for Kingston and St Andrew. That, obviously, cannot be a sufficient representation of the reality in Jamaica.

With the ever-increasing incidence of non-communicable diseases including cancer, accurate data is important for the Government and others to determine the best interventions, especially given the limited resources that exist in the health sector.

Two weeks ago, my company, Advanced Integrated Systems, participated in the 16th annual Caribbean Neurosciences Symposium in Montego Bay, St James.

I was happy to be a part of this event, given its history of facilitating inventiveness and new methods of operation. It also helped that it was led by the always-forward-thinking Dr Carl Bruce and cosigned by the University of the West Indies (UWI).

The state of emergency in the parish did not deter attendance as participants hailed from all over the world and gathered at the Montego Bay Convention Centre.

The transformative role of technology is boundless as long as we are willing to open our minds to the possibilities.

Health technology can be applied to almost every aspect of healthcare to improve efficiency and access.

I recently explained and referred to data as the 'new oil', and if we understand the true value of data and what it can do for health care then we would now know that there are boundless opportunities that we can carve out to improve service delivery, patient care and save lives.

Apart from tracking trends, deciphering where and when outbreaks may happen, medication being used by whom and in which geographic location, data provides a whole gamut of information we can use at a very personal level.

Many born into a generation of rapidly changing technology are able to seamlessly adapt to the almost per-second changes.

But there are many among us who do not quite have it so easily. Technophobia - the fear of technology - is real and is oftentimes seen in people afraid of using new technology.

With the pace of change, technology can, indeed, be very daunting. However, with the increased use of technology across sectors and many companies going digital, it is clear that technology is here to stay.

Local tech solutions company Advanced Integrated Systems (AIS) has partnered with an India-based company, Suvarna Techno Soft Private Limited to implement an information and management system at the University Hospital of the West Indies. The hospital embarked on a plan to fully digitise and revamp its current technology platform on May 1, through a US$1-million investment, and expects to complete it by the end of the year.