Project to link UAE hospitals launched

Patients in the UAE will be able to access their medical records online once a new hospital information system project is implemented by Ministry of Health in three years, officials said on Tuesday.

Humaid Mohammad Al Qatami, Minister of Health on Tuesday launched the Dh300 million ‘Wareed' system that will ensure a centralised patient database that can be accessed by 14 Ministry of Health hospitals and 62 affiliated clinics.

“The system will dramatically improve access to vital, accurate and critical patient information (that can be accessed) by physicians, medical personnel, health care practitioners, thus minimising potential risks,'' Al Qatami said.

He said the system will act as a barrier against the possibility of medical errors.

This will be possible with a centralised database of patients' history, including medication, previous medical records, laboratory tests etc.

Al Qatami said that by far this is the largest project of its kind in the Middle-East.

The ministry may either adopt the use of biometrics like finger printing or they may plan to implement a smart card system to ensure authenticity of users who access this database.

For the public sector hospitals, the project will be rolled out over three years and the first two hospitals will come on line by the middle of next year.

Thereafter, he added, every three months, two hospitals and an affiliated clinic will be hooked to the system.

This project will lay down the foundation of integrating all hospitals run by the Department of Health and Medical Services (DOHMS) in Dubai, the Abu Dhabi Health Authority (HAAD) in Abu Dhabi and other private hospitals across the country.

The database will be interfaced with the existing system to form a national-wide medical record registry, said Ziad H Arnaout, CEO of Hybrid Health Systems, a Dubai-based company assigned to manage the project.

The five-year cost of the project will be about Dh300 million, said Saeed Al Zaabi, department of IT department at the Ministry of Health.

As part of the training programme, the ministry will set up a special unit.

Also, a general computer literacy course will be conducted for all users of the programme and a certification programme will be implemented.

Nursing schools and colleges will be taught how to use the health information system, said Al Zaabi.

In cases where a patient is unable to visit the hospital, online consultancy will be provided.

All patients will be able to access their file and they will be able to check the results of their tests like blood sugar etc.

The scope of the project is massive considering that on an annual basis, over 1.5 million patients visit the MOH hospitals and clinics in the Northern Emirates, over six million radiology and laboratory tests are conducted and over 6000 physicians and technicians are involved, said Arnaout. “This system will help the ministry move from a fragmented system to a comprehensive centralised system that will benefit both patients and healthcare practitioners.''