By Kuda Pembere recently in UMP
The Ministry of Health and Child Care has managed to install and activate for use, the Electronic -Health Records (HER) system in all health facilities in Uzumba-Maramba-Pfungwe district.
Mashambanhaka clinic in Uzumba was the first facility in the country to implement the EHR system. Speaking to journalists during a UMP tour to assess the EHR implementation organized by the Health Ministry, the district medical officer Dr Gladman Mubonani said the system reduced the use of eight paper based registers.
This is the district which piloted the Electronic Health Records system in 2016. Mashambanhaka clinic in Uzumba was the first clinic to pilot program and it was cascaded to the other 21 facilities by early 2017. In the district, all the 22 health facilities in the district have the system,” he said.
“This has been a very helpful and instrumental project. We have managed to eliminate some paper registers in our facilities. As of now, we 9managed to eliminate eight paper-based registers and there are plans to eliminate 14 more paper-based registers. So as you can see, the project has been successful.”
He also said UMP has been training other districts in the country to implement the system. Dr Mubonani added the Health Ministry’s IT department has been assisting them to deal with the technical challenges.
“Maybe as a bonus to the nation, the district has been playing a leading role in training other districts in the country on the implementation of EHR.
“We have had challenges in the power backup because most clinics use solar energy. So there maybe downtimes due to old aged batteries or other technical errors. But the Ministry of Health IT Department has been coming to our rescue,” he said.
Mashonaland East provincial medical director Dr Paul Matsvimbo said four other districts in the province namely Seke, Marondera, Murewa and Goromonzi are implementing the EHR.
“Plans are there and government is committed to support the expansion of these plans so that all the nine districts within the province are also connected and using the electronic health records,” he said.
The system has among a lot of things improved patient waiting time.
