The Eastern Cape health department never fails to disappoint.
One of the gravest situations it faces is the magnitude of the medico-legal negligence claims it faces. These cases annually deplete its healthcare budget by billions of rand.
Its contingent liability stands at about R22bn. The auditor-general’s office has described the amount as “unmanageable”.
One of the biggest drivers of successful medical negligence cases against the department is its poor record keeping, which makes it impossible for it to defend cases in court.
The AG’s office said earlier this year there was “near non-existent use of information technology in the administration of medicines, while patient information was still being recorded manually”.
Given the hundreds of millions it has spent on digitising its patient records the question arises: How is this possible?
In 2021, to much fanfare, former health MEC Nomakhosazana Meth launched the electronic hospital management system known as HMS2.
It meant a paperless world in which all patients records were digitised. It would promote continuity of care no matter which provincial hospital the patient was admitted to. A simple press of the right button would produce that patient’s medical information.
It marked the end of the days where patient records could be lost or stolen. Not only would it improve patient care but also the ability of the department to access those records when it had to defend itself against accusations of negligence.
From time to time the department updated the public on this system which was to roll out across the province.
By 2022, the department said that Frere Hospital, where the design and development started, had “the full suite of HMS2 applications operating”.
In August the same year, Cecilia Makiwane Hospital went live with the system joining “the nine hospitals in the Western region (of the Eastern Cape)” where it had been successfully rolled out. Nelson Mandela Central Academic Hospital, Bedford Orthopaedic and Mthatha Regional Hospital joined the system the same year.
“Our journey of digitalisation and eHealth as we reimagine health and care in the Eastern Cape is truly under way,” the department said three years ago.
By 2025, four years later, one would have expected Frere Hospital to be completely digital and paper-free.
However, the Dispatch this week exposed the startling fact that vital medical files are still routinely lost or misplaced forcing doctors to treat chronic patients without access to their full medical history. The department admits that this led to treatment delays, repeat consultations, and unnecessary duplication of tests.
Inevitably, it will also lead to more medical negligence cases and contribute to the department’s inability to defend them. The spiral into decay and disaster continues.
Department head Dr Rolene Wagner, who set HMS2 in motion, owes the province an explanation about how much has been spent on this system, the implementation of which seems non-existent.
Daily Dispatch
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