eHealth Strategy South Africa 2012 - Department of Health

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National eHealth Strategy, South Africa 2012/13-2016/17 SAHIA also works closely with the Pan African Health Informatics Association, HELINA (Health Informatics In Africa). SAHIA has been holding a regular biennial Health Informatics South Africa Conference (HISA) while the Medical Research Council has hosted annual Telemedicine and eHealth Conferences, supported by SATMA. The international Future eHealth Leaders initiative supports future leaders in the sector to hone eHealth skills and build professional networks. The initiative comes to South Africa in 2012, with support from SAHIA, SATMA, ISfTeH, local government and other organisations. A South African chapter of the initiative has been created to host an annual eHealth leadership event henceforth. 4.11 eHealth Capacity Building Although some progress has been made in telemedicine training (see below), opportunities for education in eHealth are currently limited. Most courses available are at post-graduate level and eHealth is not an established core subject in the training of health professionals. In addition, current departmental structures do not provide well-defined career paths for eHealth professionals. Both SAHIA and SATMA have an active interest in capacity building. SATMA has been formed to “promote and advance telemedicine and associated fields in South Africa through advocacy, cooperation, training, and research by bringing together people from the private and public sectors, industry and academia to share experience and expertise”. 35 SAHIA is a body which can provide professional membership and on-going professional development through seminars, workshops and special interest group meetings. 36 Both organisations are exploring the possibility of professional registration with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA). Telemedicine training The University of KwaZulu-Natal offers a postgraduate programme in Telemedicine, with PhD, Masters, Postgraduate Diploma and Masters in Public Health qualifications. In conjunction with IsTFeH, UKZ-N has facilitated and assisted in the development of a basic introductory telemedicine training programme. The University of Stellenbosch, in collaboration with the Medical Research Council, also offers diploma courses in telemedicine. These educational programmes aim to develop competent and skilled telemedicine practitioners and managers as well as to broaden the base of health workers exposed to telemedicine. 4.12 eHealth Research Research in eHealth is conducted by several institutions including the Medical Research Council (MRC), Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, University of Stellenbosch, University of Kwazulu-Natal, Walter Sisulu University and the Meraka Institute (CSIR). The 35 http://www.satelemedicine.org/mission 36 www.sahia.org.za/ Page 18
National eHealth Strategy, South Africa 2012/13-2016/17 MRC, which is funded through NDoH, has expertise which includes Health Information Systems (HIS) assessment, HIS and electronic health record (EHR) implementation, eHealth enterprise architecture and standards, the use of web and media technologies, telemedicine and mHealth. 4.13 eHealth in the Private Sector In general, health information systems in the private sector focus on billing and reimbursement. The following excerpt is taken from a chapter in the South African Health Review. 37 “This review of health information systems policy, legislation and practice has confirmed that no formal, integrated health information system to support patient care across the private healthcare sector exists in South Africa. Effective information systems to support reimbursement for services by healthcare practitioners, hospital services and support services such as pharmacy and radiology cover a large proportion of private healthcare services and could provide the core of integrated patient records in the future. The requirements for medical scheme claims have prompted significant consultation and decisions in relation to the implementation of ICD-10 as the national diagnosis coding standard. In this respect, the work of the ICD-10 Implementation Task Team, jointly convened by the NDoH and the Council for Medical Schemes and involving relevant stakeholder groups has provided a model for meaningful and useful cooperation between the public and private sectors on health information issues.” 4.14 Notable current initiatives impacting eHealth The eConnectivity Forum is a high level body of deputy ministers of government departments including NDoH, represented by its Deputy Minister. The eConnectivity Forum aims to ensure cost-effective, sustainable and efficient ICT solutions become tools to enable the efficient delivery of services. The eConnectivity Forum is convened by the Department of Communications (DoC) which is mandated to provide infrastructure for ICTs and its meetings are chaired by its Deputy Minister. The initial focus of the Forum is ensuring connectivity of schools and health facilities across the country in line with Outcomes 1 and 2 of the NSDA: “Improved quality of basic education” and “A long and healthy life for all South Africans”. In October 2011 the Forum resolved that the eHealth strategy should be finalised with an action plan on mHealth and to make more extensive use of digital broadcasting to promote health. There is also strong national support for the development of eHealth in general. While the HIS environment is characterized by numerous fragmented computerised systems and several vertical programs, South Africa is also innovating in mHealth and telemedicine solutions. The NDoH, provinces, and commercial providers comprise the main developers and implementers of HIS for both hospitals and smaller clinics. 38 37 Matshidze, P and Hanmer, L. Health Information Systems in the Private Sector. South African Health Review, 2007, pages 89 - 102 38 Vital Wave Consulting (Funded by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation): Health Information Systems in Developing Countries: A Landscape Analysis. May 2009. Page 19
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eHealth Strategy South Africa 2012 - Department of Health

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