The Hospital is now one step closer to getting a much needed Electronic Patient Records System.
Recently we have been busy working on a proposal and budget which we will use to go out and find project funding. As part of the process we wanted to get endorsement from that Secretary of Health: Dr. Clement Malau, before we actually go out and seek funding. And last week we got it - by way of a letter!
(Click on the image above if you wish to read it)
The process has been long and drawn out to get this far but the fact is that we are making progress. We might never get the funding but at this point in time we support from Health Authorities at Hospital, Provincial and National levels, we have a project proposal and budget and above all we have a need!
At the heart of the proposal is the development of an Electronic Patient Records System for the Hospital using an Open Source (OSS) product to begin with. Together with the CEO of Goroka General Hospital we carry the vision that Open Source development and implementation is possible in Papua New Guinea. As the motto goes… “Chip, chip, chip… slowly but surely”.
We already have an IS foundation at the Hospital that is based entirely on Open Source. From desktops , to servers, a network, several smallish applications and shortly a Hospital Intranet, all developed using software from the Open Source Community.
I perceive an incredible window of opportunity at this point in time to develop and deploy Open Source Applications in Papua New Guinea. Not only because of the potential cost savings but mainly due to the fact that in many cases we have a what’s called a “Green Field” scenario.
But… (there’s always a but)
There are, just like anywhere else, forces in play that would oppose reason and logic. As sensible and cost effective as Open Source deployment might be in Papua New Guinea at present, there’s a strong push from within the National Bureaucracy to use Microsoft based products - particularly a product called Attache. A requirements study is yet to be carried out and already a specific piece of software is being promoted for what is being termed “E-Government”. Note that if the horse isn’t positioned before the cart - the cart will never go anywhere!!
So here we are at Goroka General Hospital pushing for Open Source options. All we need now are a few bucks to get the project up and running.
If you are reading this and know of any individuals or organisations that can be approached as a source of funding for the Records Project at the Hospital - please drop me a line. I have proposal and budgets ready to role!
Its good to read that our health secretary is totally behind the idea of hospital going into IT with the electronic patients records. Its time that PNG hospitals need to update its data and information at the world standard. Its the store of knowledge and from that storage many new discoveries can be done in medical science. PNG can not continue to operate in isolation with junks of papers and difficult to locate patients information for research purposes.
Goroka hospital, keep it up and show other PNG hospitals that you can do it.
Hi Yafa,
Thanks again for the positive feedback.
Keep your fingers crossed for us as we still have much hard work ahead to secure the project funding. Just a matter of finding someone out there with a fat enough a purse!
R
The pro MS argument can be quite insidious in developing countries. I tried to get the Dept. of Education in the Solomons to start using Linux on their file server, and their IT guy wrote a statement saying that it would be embarrassing for the Dept. to be seen running Linux (as if it was amateurish). The current file server was being run on a Windows desktop file share. The IT guy had an IT degree from USP. No backup. Hmmm, amateurish.
I think the problem with Linux and people who don’t understand it stems from the fact that ‘a stolen watermelon tastes sweeter’. Windows costs a lot, whereas Linux is free, so therefore Windows must be better!
If anyone ever has any problems with you running Linux in the hospital, just point them to the facts about the trouble that people have with viruses and malware in developing countries - most MS software is pirated, not updated, and poorly protected with anti-virus systems - and therefore a lot of time and effort is spent managing malware outbreaks and machine rebuilds.
Aaaah, sweet, stable, strong Linux. In developing countries, Linux and open source is the best software model.
Hi Nick,
Spot on mate!
A couple of months ago I was speaking to a senior AUSAID Advisor - someone directly involved with recommending systems to the National Health Department. This person’s words were that Open Source would not be possible in PNG because it all comes from India! (A 25 G’s a month consultant!!).
Believe it or not but Attache is currently being pushed by certain cronies within Waigani as the platform of choice for E-Government in PNG!!
The mind boggles, twists and turns…
R