Not only will new technology be used to create a paperless healthcare system; it could be employed to vastly improve the treatment of patiens even if a specialist is not at hand.
The Free State Department of Health has introduced several new systems that will be used in the 219 clinics and 32 public hospitals in the province. The department launched its Digital Health Projects, known as e-health services, at the Free State School of Nursing on Tuesday, 21 November.
Prof. Frederik Claassens, one of only two urologists in the Free State, says with the new Assisted Reality Medico-legal Surveillance System (Armss) now being implemented, specialists in Bloemfontein or in other centres can assist in operations in remote hospitals.
The Armss, with its hands-free voice-enabled equipment, empowers frontline medical workers to conduct audio and visual recordings of various procedures. The Armss is also very helpful in safely storing audio-visual recordings for reporting and investigative purposes.
Godfrey Mahlatsi, the department head (HOD) of Health, said the Armss would be very useful in the training of medical staff.
“There are not always specialists available in remote hospitals. With the help of Armss, surgeons can now get assistance from a specialist to do operations in fields with which they are not familiar.”
Mathabo Leeto, Free State MEC for Health, commented on the potential that the Digital Health Projects hold.
“The solutions integrate into a wider digital ecosystem that our Digital Health Strategy envisions. Once fully constituted, this ecosystem will unite providers, specialists, laboratories, pharmacies, emergency services and administrators through shared data and insights.”
She said this was the backbone of the National Health Insurance.
“These digital innovations will help to systematically address the service backlogs, quality deficits and access barriers that our communities have grappled with for too long.”
Systems to manage patients’ hospital records, do online recruitment and mordernise emergency mangagement is also included in the new e-health services.
These devices was developed in partnership with Vodacom.
