12 of 13 state health facilities using e-Care
This was revealed by the Health Systems Strengthening Programme (HSSP) – a specialized unit in the Ministry of Health and Wellness tasked with the implementation of modernizing the health sector.
In a progress report released at the turn of the new year, the HSSP said e-Care will be fully onboard at all state-run health facilities “in the coming weeks”.
The EHR system was officially rolled out last year with the Old Harbour Health Centre among those adopting the new system which allows patients and medical officials to access health records virtually but crucially to strengthen the state’s methodology to prevent and manage non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
“Starting with the May Pen Hospital, then May Pen East, May Pen West and Mocho Health Centres in Clarendon, our Electronic Health Records (EHR) system, e-Care, was officially rolled out in 2024. The system was then introduced to Spanish Town Hospital, Old Harbour Health Centre, St Jago Park Health Centre, and Greater Portmore Health Centre in the middle of the year. In the last quarter, e-Care went live at St Ann’s Bay Regional Hospital, Brown’s Town Health Centre, St Ann’s Bay Health Centre and Ocho Rios Health Centre. So far, the system has been improving wait times in the facilities by as much as 50%, which is a major win for both clients and healthcare workers. We will be closing the loop soon with our 13th HSSP facility, Chapleton Community Hospital, in the coming weeks,” stated the HSSP.
According to the HSSP data one in three Jamaicans has hypertension; one in eight are living with diabetes; and one in two are overweight or obese.
Further, the HSSP added that four out of every 10 Jamaicans are expected to suffer from a mental illness over the course of their life time while the suicide rate is approximately 2.1 / 100,000 with statistics from the Jamaica Constabulary Force showing between 47 and 56 deaths per year due to suicide over the last three years.
Cancer and respiratory diseases are some of the known risk factors for NCDs.
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