Imagine having a computer record of every doctor's visit you've made throughout your whole life, every pill prescribed, every illness diagnosed no matter where you did it public or private from Corozal to Toledo. Sounds high tech maybe too much so for Belize but that may soon be a reality as a new information system promises to revolutionize healthcare. As part of the health reform project, the system has completed the first phase of design and implementation. Today the media was given a preview and an explanation of the future.
Ian Smith, System Designer
“The system is a very solid one. It brings the information that the health sector in Belize uses in one centralized location. It makes it readily available to every doctor who registers to this system.”
Jules Vasquez,
What makes the system so special?
Ian Smith,
“The fact that it will save lives that is the special thing about it. More lives can be saved, patient healthcare will be greatly improved as a result of this tool."
Jules Vasquez,
In a real time how will this computer system, apart from providing more information, save lives?
Peter Allen, Ministry of Health
“Well first of all we believe it will serve lives through just not improving the level of curative health care services but by promoting the concept of wellness and health within the population. For example in terms of an outbreak of disease we will be able to recognize and react to any outbreak of disease much more quickly because that information will be available to us in near real time.”
Ian Smith,
“Its here its now its been tested. Phase one is pretty much completed and Belizean people should expect phase two and three to come.”
Phases two and three when the system is actually set up at the KHMH and clinics across the country should be underway in the next few months.