Michael Sakuneka
Michael Sakuneka
To improve the quality of service at Limpopo's health facilities, the government is to provide all hospitals with an up-to-date computer system.
The system will be a relief for patients who traditionally have to queue for hours when they attend day clinics or have to be admitted to wards at the hospitals.
Patients often have to return home without being treated because officials spend so much time searching for patient files that more than often than not cannot be found.
Patients who can afford it go to private doctors for treatment.
The new computerised system will help the hospitals to move from the tedious and inefficient manual filing system to an electronic one.
The decision to computerise Limpopo's systems comes in the wake of the decision that all filing systems at provincial hospitals be modernised.
The project was started about 10 years ago and the first phase has seen the computerisation of 38 major hospitals.
Department spokesman Phuti Seloba said the programme would also incorporate health centres and clinics in the province.
About R300million has been spent on it since the programme started.
"This will make the lives of the patients easier because they will no longer have to carry their files with them when they visit hospitals for medical attention," Seloba said
When the system is fully computerised all that will be needed for the patient to access their files will be their identity number or date of birth.
Seloba said that the computer system would also help the administration keep a running total of what had been spent and how much funding was still needed.
Limpopo files into 21st century
Michael Sakuneka
Michael Sakuneka
To improve the quality of service at Limpopo's health facilities, the government is to provide all hospitals with an up-to-date computer system.
The system will be a relief for patients who traditionally have to queue for hours when they attend day clinics or have to be admitted to wards at the hospitals.
Patients often have to return home without being treated because officials spend so much time searching for patient files that more than often than not cannot be found.
Patients who can afford it go to private doctors for treatment.
The new computerised system will help the hospitals to move from the tedious and inefficient manual filing system to an electronic one.
The decision to computerise Limpopo's systems comes in the wake of the decision that all filing systems at provincial hospitals be modernised.
The project was started about 10 years ago and the first phase has seen the computerisation of 38 major hospitals.
Department spokesman Phuti Seloba said the programme would also incorporate health centres and clinics in the province.
About R300million has been spent on it since the programme started.
"This will make the lives of the patients easier because they will no longer have to carry their files with them when they visit hospitals for medical attention," Seloba said
When the system is fully computerised all that will be needed for the patient to access their files will be their identity number or date of birth.
Seloba said that the computer system would also help the administration keep a running total of what had been spent and how much funding was still needed.
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