Electronic Medical Records system being piloted at GPHC’s Medical Clinic

A more efficient and reliable healthcare system is closer to reality as the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) is rolling out the implementation of an Electronic Medical Records (EMR) system.

The system was launched on Friday afternoon at GPHC’s Medical Clinic, where it is being piloted. It was developed by the GPHC, Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) and local company, Techlify and will be expanded to other departments of the hospital, in due course.

Chairman of the GPHC’s Board of Directors and Advisor to the Minister of Health, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, Chief Executive Officer of GPHC, Robbie Rambarran, and PAHO/WHO Representative, Daniel Albrecht attended the simple launching ceremony.

It replaces the paper-based data system and has many benefits including improved collaboration among healthcare workers, better treatment management, and easier access to patients’ charts.

It will also improve patient safety and experience, facilitate better patient referrals or transfers, centralise and standardise clinical data management within the clinic, improve efficiency and accuracy of documentation, prevent errors in documentation and duplication of patient information, and reduce delays in retrieving patient records.

Dr. Ramsammy said this is just the beginning of a holistic approach to the government’s aim of utilising technology to improve Guyana’s delivery of healthcare.

“We are working with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to ensure that Guyana rolls out a high-quality EMR, so this is just the beginning of that effort,” he stated.

GPHC’s CEO also expressed gratitude to PAHO/WHO for providing technical support to the agency in developing the system as well as GPHC’s staff.

“This is just the beginning of EMR for the hospital. I know we have heard the minister; the President spoke about a national EMR. It certainly will help us to be more efficient in managing our patients… while we roll this out here, we have a lab information system and that lab information system, we can actually send those results to any part of the hospital,” he stated.

This signals the President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali-led administration’s commitment to transforming Guyana’s healthcare system into a world-class system.