The Ministry of Health has started negotiating with some international information technology companies to link 35 government hospitals with a computer network in preparation for unifying patients’ records all over the Kingdom.
Sources said the system will enable doctors to see the records of any patient who has visited any of the linked 35 government hospitals.
The system will also enable the ministry to count patients who are suffering from chronic diseases. The ministry’s doctors will be able to evaluate a patient’s response to certain therapies and medicine and allow them to receive medical services in any part of the Kingdom.
In another development, Dr. Khaled Marghalani, spokesman of the Ministry of Health, said the ministry has not found any doctor or consultant uncertified by the ministry. Severe action will be taken against bogus medical practitioners, he added.
NAWAF AFIT & MUHAMMAD AL-ENIZI
Saudi Gazette