Apart from improving the sector, the programme also targets to improve efficiency and reduction of current costs that are incurred in implementing health care programmes.
Health and Social Welfare Deputy Minister, Dr Seif Suleiman Rashid, told the ‘Daily News’ that the programme to be implemented in three main phases will start in the coming 2014/2015 financial year.
He said the establishment of the programme, which will take at least 7 to 15 years to be fully accomplished, will assist in tracking down the flow of funding, expenditure and cost effective health services across the country.
Phase one of the plan has been estimated to cost 100bn/- which will be invested in connecting all referral hospitals to the e- Health system, where procedures including referrals and medical consultations will be done electronically.
“We are also targeting reaching a stage where medical consultations and even specialised treatments will be undertaken electronically by connecting hospitals and consultants, apart from monitoring human and financial resources more effectively,” he said.
The role of ICT in accelerating these reforms has widely been accepted from both within the ministry development partners and private institutions, that have been investing in various initiatives for quite sometimes now.
However, he said the health sector is still characterised by a fragmented landscape of ICT pilot projects and numerous data and health information systems (HIS) silos, with significant barriers to the effective sharing of information between healthcare stakeholders.
Therefore, in response to this, according to the deputy minister, the ministry has developed the e-Health Strategy to address the risk of continued duplication, ineffective expenditure and the creation of new solutions that cannot be integrated.
The ministry is now working towards implementing the strategy, still has to face a number of challenges including lack of financial support and sustainability, which include funding of the e-Health implementation.
Due to the dire need to raise funding ready for implementation and apart from routine government budget cycles, fundraising campaigns will be initiated starting March, this year during which the first National e-Health conference to be attended by various key stakeholders will be held.
The conference will discuss and develop an e-Health implementation model, funding model, public-private partnership model, e-Health enterprise architecture, local capacity and capacity building approach and general ICT infrastructure in the country.
International experts will also be invited to help investigate and analyse solutions that may fit in with the challenges faced by Tanzania and the countries that surround it.
Admitting the fact that the multi-billion project will need huge funding to be well implemented, Dr Seif said Tanzania was ready to welcome any company or organisation to come into the country and share its expertise on it.
The second phase and last phase of the programme will accommodate all regional referral hospitals, district hospitals, health centres and dispensary where issuing of drug prescriptions and other medical supplies will be done electronically.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Pius Rugonzibwa
Quelle/Source: Daily News, 07.01.2014
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