By Nadezhda Radionova
Health care institutions are soon to hold 90 percent of records in electronic form, meeting the norm in advanced Western European countries. With the widespread introduction of electronic health records, patients will be able to make appointments at any medical facility, with doctors accessing their records simply by typing their last name, initials and other basic information. Of course, the move reduces paperwork drastically, saving time and money.
According to the Chairman of the Healthcare Committee at the Minsk City Executive Committee, Victor Sirenko, hospitals and clinics are already starting to use the new system, with over 80 percent of records now transferred. The 2nd children’s city hospital piloted the electronic system, alongside the 6th and 10th city clinical hospitals and a number of dental clinics.
Mr. Sirenko tells us, “The new medical records system will be fully operational only once each doctor’s clinic has the relevant software installed. The first phase of nationwide informatisation (2005-2012) has brought technology to a new level, including automated passport printing, the collating of demographic information and processing of statistical data. Telecommunications and computing infrastructure have been improved, and many institutions are now using databases to hold information. Moreover, medical diagnosis and treatment have been improved with the use of IT systems.”
