GPHC launches Electronic Medical Records System

Jul 29, 2023 News

By Allyiah Allicock

Kaieteur News – Filing charts by hand will soon become a thing of the past as the Georgetown Public Hospital’s (GPHC) Medical Clinic launched its Electronic Medical Records (EMR) system on Friday.

The simple yet significant ceremony was attended by Advisor to the Minister of Health and Chairman of the Board of Directors of GPHC, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, GPHC’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Robbie Rambarran, Health Systems and Services Advisor, PAHO/WHO, Mr. Daniel Albrecht, and Head of Medical Clinic and Ambulatory Services Coordinator at the GPHC, Dr. Grace White among other invitees.

Dr. White in her remarks said that the need for the electronic system at the hospital and at the wider health stream was recognised years ago. She said that after years of discussion, it was in March 2021 that the leadership of the GPHC and the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) committed to the development of an EMR system at the hospital.

Dr. White shared that the road to achieving the EMR was a long one, not without its share of challenges, but expressed gratitude that has been realized. She said that after a series of developmental phases, the first set of patients were added to the system in July, this year.

According to the Head of GPHC’s Medical Clinic, “Our aim in all of this is to run a more efficient health system, from more reliable record keeping to safer keeping, not withstanding more efficient data retrieval and research potential. Ultimately, these improve capability that would translate into the best possible medical care to all those we serve.”

Dr. White added that this step is just the beginning as the intention is to extend the system to other units and departments of the hospital. “And more so as we stand at the thrust of the introduction of national electronic medical records,” she added.

Briefly in his remarks, GPHC’s CEO said that “this is a moment that all of us should be very proud of and a moment where we not only launch but also celebrate one step on a step of modernizing healthcare.”

Similarly, he stated that this has been engaged for quite some time, but the hospital is happy to be able to champion the system, making it a reality.

Rambarran on Friday expressed gratitude to all personnel and stakeholders who played a role in establishing this system, as this new development will help the GPHC be more efficient in providing services to its patients.

Meanwhile, Advisor to the Minister of Health and Chairman of the Board of Directors of GPHC, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy said that having the EMR implemented is a significant development as it would not only help improve the hospital’s services but also other departments/ clinics within the institution will get to access results “in real-time.”

With the launching of this system, he noted that in a year’s time the GPHC would be able to say that it is fully equipped with EMR at all of its clinics. According to Dr. Ramsammy, “we are working with the Inter-American Development Bank to ensure Guyana rolls out a high quality electronic medical record for this is just the beginning of that.”

The launching ceremony of the Electronic Medical Records (EMR) System at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) on Friday. (Photo credit, DPI)

During previous discussions of having patients records digitized, Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony had mentioned that “There are numerous advantages to going to an electronic system. One, we can be able to store large amounts of data, retrieve it, readily and have all the patients’ records in one place, but it’s also very convenient for both patient, doctors, medical staff and so forth.”

After taking office, President Irfaan Ali in 2020 had mentioned that his government is exploring the implementation of electronic records system as part of his vision of delivering a world-class healthcare service in Guyana.

At an event in October 2020, he disclosed that the government held discussions with the Indian High Commissioner to Guyana on having the system implemented here.

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Allyiah Allicock, electronic, Medical, Records, system

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