Paper-based medical record keeping in Guyana’s healthcare system will be a thing of the past, as the government is swiftly moving to incorporate modern technology into the health sector by implementing an Electronic Health Record (EHR) system.
EHRs are a vital part of health and contain a patient’s medical history, diagnoses, medications, treatment plans, immunisation dates, and test results, among other things. It allows access to evidence-based tools that providers can use to make decisions about a patient’s care.
It also improves patient safety and experience, facilitates better patient referrals or transfers, centralises and standardises clinical data management within clinics, improves efficiency and accuracy of documentation, and reduces delays in retrieving patient records.
As part of this venture, the Ministry of Health invites early applications/proposals from eligible and qualified bidders for the initial selection for the design, supply, and installation of an EHR system.
The initial selection process will be conducted through the International Competitive Bidding (ICB) method, using the multi-stage procurement approach and procedures as specified in the Inter-American Development Bank’s policies for the Procurement of Works and Goods financed by the financial institution.
Additional details are provided in the bidding documents and a Request for Proposals was made on September 13, 2023. All applications/proposals for the initial selection should be submitted by 09:00 hours on October 30, 2023.
The project will be financed through funding received from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
Since assuming office, the government has been undertaking numerous programmes geared at transforming the health sector into a world-class healthcare system.
Back in 2020, President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali announced that his government is exploring the implementation of an electronic records system as part of the vision.
Similarly, the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) is piloting an EMR system in its medical clinic after which, it will be expanded to other departments of the facility.