KATHMANDU: The Ministry of Health and Population has planned an integrated electronic system in the government health facilities in order avoid repetition of same health check up.
Minister Pradeep Paudel took a decision that once the information on the patients’ health check conducted in a hospital is shared to the next health facility, it would help curb unnecessary burden, reducing diagnosis time and cost.
The Directive on electronic medical archive system operation and management, 2081 endorsed by Minister Paudel has aimed at wiping out duplication in the patients’ health tests, and reducing cost and time. It further contributes to generating integrated data for making an informed health policy.
The integrated electronic system would be under the control of Health Ministry, according to the Minister.
Both the government and private health institutes are obliged to maintain health data of the patients in the electronic medical archive system so that it could be shared when necessary.
Spokesperson at Ministry Dr Prakash Budhathoki informed that such integrated system would unburden the hassles of carrying papers by the patients and managing it by the hospitals.
“Although Nepal’s hospitals have launched electronic systems, the data they have are not exchangeable. Therefore, the people visiting hospitals are forced to undergo same health tests in different hospitals. Once the new system is put in place, such hassles and inconvenience would end completely,” he explained.
The Directive has asked the hospitals to enter the data on diagnosis based on health problems, doctors’ advice, information on laboratory and radiology, service seeker and his/her relative, lab reports, blood bank etc.
