Dear Editor,
The Fort Wellington Cottage Hospital in Region 5 (Mahaica/Berbice) is now utilizing a fully computerized management system which tracks the use of items in its stores and provides replenishment orders at established re-order points.
Regional Health Officer Dr Steven Cheefoon disclosed that the inventory management system for its stores follows the acquisition by the hospital staff of state-of-the-art touch screen computers last year.
He disclosed that the installation of stores inventory software is the latest step in an ongoing thrust by the Regional Health system towards the establishment of an electronic Hospital Management System (HMS) with such components as software for management of the inventory of drugs, ie an Electronic Drug Tool (EDT) and Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) for all patients.
The vision and the ultimate aim is to install an HMS at the Mahaicony Cottage Hospital, the other Hospital in Region 5, and then the linkage of all the health centres in the Region to two hospitals using Cloud technology.
Another innovation at the hospital in using Information Communications Technology (ICT) in recent months was the establishment of biometrics which is used as an employee time and attendance recording system.
“The use of biometrics as a booking in and booking out system, using their fingerprints, discourages theft of time by employees and is already in use and is presently ensuring maximum staff availability for patient care,” he said.
The stores inventory management system was set up by local company Smart Tech Solutions. Stores staff are no longer doing paperwork. Dr Cheefoon disclosed that the software is designed in such a way that at the end of the month there is a pop up which says that based on the average consumption of a particular item during the month the hospital will be out of stocks of that item in twenty-one days as a specified time frame.
“So you know that you have twenty-one days to order new stocks of that particular item. So you don’t ever run out,” he said.
The use of the items will be tracked via barcodes scanned into the computer network.
“The barcode on items is an essential element of the system so we have been working towards barcodes on items such as bags of sugar or rice, which normally do not carry barcodes. But staff have been trained; the system is up and running well, “he said.
He disclosed that the hospital has obtained approval for the hiring of a systems analyst who will be employed to put the other elements of the HMS in place and ensure their maximum up-time.
Meanwhile, as Regional Executive Officer, I think that the systems being put in place are highly commendable since in addition to the benefits to patients it would help the sector to eliminate “double dipping of medication” practised by some chronic disease patients.
Yours faithfully,
Ovid Morrison
Regional Executive Officer
Region No 5
