GEORGETOWN, Guyana, The Ministry of Health is developing legislation for electronic medical records (EMR), which could be piloted next year, according to Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony.
He said the legislation would protect patients’ privacy.
“One of the things that we’ve already started working on is to make sure that by some time next year, we’ll be able to pass the relevant laws to allow for digital or electronic record systems but also to create the legislative environment to ensure that these records and people’s information are kept safe,” he said, adding that healthcare personnel will also be trained to operate the system and to protect individuals’ privacy.
“We’re hopeful that by sometime next year, we’ll also start piloting the first steps of this electronic medical record system.”
The EMR system is an electronic record of health-related information of a patient.
The government said it is part of a holistic approach to modernizing the health system in Guyana. The health ministry is also piloting a telemedicine program in four remote communities in Region Nine – Gunns Village, Nappi, Yupukari, and Parikawarinau.
Villagers in these communities can now receive care from specialists and doctors stationed in Georgetown through their health centers equipped with technological devices.
In addition, simulation centers will be developed to aid healthcare personnel in delivering quality healthcare to citizens. A simulation center is any location where healthcare education involving experiential learning, also known as healthcare simulation, is conducted.
A Registered Nursing (RN) program will also be launched in 2023, and, according to Dr. Anthony, the ministry is hoping to train about 1,000 persons to fill the gaps in the nursing profession.
“There are a whole host of other specialized programs that would become available, and while we have started the decentralization of the foundational programs […] the specialized one we’ll see, in terms of interest, how many people we’ll have, and maybe we’ll be able to offer some of them in the regions,” he said.
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