In hospitals and clinics across the sub-Saharan Africa region and the entire country of Botswana, MEDITECH has a long history of helping to bring safer and more efficient care to patients with MEDITECH’s Electronic Health Record (EHR).
In honour of MEDITECH South Africa’s 35th anniversary of healthcare innovation, MEDITECH’s Executive VP and COO Michelle O’Connor recently visited government leaders, doctors, nurses and technologists across Southern Africa to see firsthand how they’re deploying the MEDITECH solution to improve care delivery.
“There are different levels of IT usage throughout the region,” O’Connor said. “However, no matter what the environment, whether it be at a sophisticated urban hospital, rural health clinic, or a remote health post, it was exciting to witness how Southern Africa healthcare providers were proactively using MEDITECH to maintain longitudinal health records for every citizen.”
Making a world of difference
In Botswana, the MEDITECH EHR is utilised in all of the country’s public hospitals, and is currently being deployed across hundreds of clinics and health posts, in conjunction with the Ministry of Health (MoH). One of the goals set forth by the MoH is to provide healthcare to all of Botswana within a three mile radius.
Here are some examples of how the MEDITECH EHR is innovating healthcare across Southern Africa:
• Technologists at commercial lab Ampath Laboratories are leveraging MEDITECH to develop programmes that increase the number of specimens they process.
• In areas with low levels of Internet connectivity, MEDITECH is working with the MoH to develop a system that will sync up with the main database every few days, keeping patient records up-to-date.
• Ntuzuma PHC, a provincial primary healthcare facility and KwaMashu CHC, a provincial community clinic, will soon be leveraging the MEDITECH EHR to provide accredited HIV and tuberculosis-related treatment, care and support services, as well as home-based care services, for terminally and chronically ill patients.
• Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital (PPP KZNDoH and AME), one of the flagship hospitals in South Africa, was the first hospital in Africa to deploy MEDITECH’s 6.1 platform. The 840-bed hospital went LIVE in August 2016.
• The new Botswana University Hospital will be opening with the MEDITECH 6.1 platform.
Learn more about how MEDITECH’s EHR is helping to make a difference around the globe, here.
