DA MP du Plessis to take Gauteng’s slow eHealth digitisation project crisis to Parliament
Nicola du Plessis has slammed the provincial government for failing to deliver on a 12-year promise to modernise patient record systems, claiming that only 2% to 5% of records have been digitised.
Picture: @ParliamentofRSA/X
JOHANNESBURG - Democratic Alliance (DA) member of Parliament (MP) Nicola du Plessis said she will take the crisis of Gauteng’s slow eHealth digitisation project to Parliament, following a series of oversight visits to health facilities in southern Johannesburg.
Du Plessis has slammed the provincial government for failing to deliver on a 12-year promise to modernise patient record systems, claiming that only 2% to 5% of records have been digitised.
The Gauteng Department of Health initiated the “eHealth” project to digitise paper-based files in 2012. However, according to du Plessis, hospitals and clinics are still overwhelmed with physical records, jeopardising patient care.
The department has converted just over 200,000 files at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital since 2016, far below expectations.
Spokesperson Motalatale Modiba defended the project, stating it would be rolled out in phases over the next three years, with a target of 800 million files across 37 hospitals.
“It’s going to be rolled out to other facilities, incrementally over the years.”
Du Plessis said she would raise the issue in Parliament, arguing that the delays are costing lives.
The department hopes to speed up digitisation in key areas like maternity, chronic illness, and mental health, with a one-patient-one-file system promised to enhance patient safety and data security.