DOH Sec. Enrique Ona’s Keynote Speech at CHITS@10 Celebration and Research Forum

September 16, 2014 6:57 am | by admin | Posted in News, Speech

Undersecretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa delivered the keynote speech of DOH Secretary Enrique Ona during the 10th year anniversary celebration of the Community Health Information Tracking System (CHITS) last September 10, 2014 at the Orchid Garden Suites.

First and foremost, allow me to congratulate the National Telehealth Center of the University of the Philippines Manila for its decade long commitment to improve equity and access to health care services through the use of appropriate information and communications technology such as CHITS or the Community Health Information Tracking System (CHITS). We hope in the DOH that you will continue to be one of our staunch allies in achieving Kalusugang Pangkalahatan (Universal Health Care) in the next 10 more years and beyond. I am also very grateful to be with some of our CHITS end-users from at least 138 implementation sites nationwide. Your own experiences in implementing such technology will be a valuable testimony to others who wish to implement similar systems. I challenge the end-users who came in here today to organize and form the community of practice that will further advance and sustain these technology innovations.

Health information is one of the six building blocks of health system strengthening (WHO, 2007). When the Aquino Health Agenda was launched 4 years ago, I have recognized the importance of information and communications technology as the fourth pillar in achieving the objectives of KP. The Department of Health (DOH) believes that an ICT-enabled health information system is a complimentary strategy for strengthening health systems and achieving the health-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

As you may all be aware of, the volume of data collected daily in a typical government health center poses a significant challenge to a system in need of cohesive, relevant and timely health information critical for decision-making. While we have an extensive information system such as the FHSIS, it remains largely paper-based which is prone to human error during its collection, consolidation and reporting. Additionally, paper-records is also time-consuming that renders the generated information almost stale and irrelevant. Obviously, the paper-based health record keeping does not meet the needs of an efficient health care model.

Today, EMR implementation is slowly gaining traction. Over the last decade, ICT tools have grown so much that it has become a vital tool in both social participation and governance. With an increasing Internet and mobile penetration rate – which is at 36% and 105 % in 2013 and 2012 respectively – ICT has afforded governments and development partners new opportunities to collect, share, analyze and act on the available data. EMRs are proven to enhance efficiency which would in turn save time of the health care provides for recording and reporting. This saved time could then be well spent for patient care. This would thus increase the overall quality health care.

However, the dominant form of EMR in the country is still characterized by small to medium scale implementation from both government and various sector groups that are independent of each other. Most of these initiatives such as CHITS, iClinicSys, WAH, SHINE, and SegRHIS among others are focused on surveys and data collection, health promotion and community mobilization. I hope and anticipate that these efforts will scale into a sustainable ICT tools.

The next big question now is this: Are we now using data to inform our decisions and planning?

Improved data collection alone will not resolve health inequities. Addressing inequity requires strategic action, continuous monitoring of designed interventions; building an information culture among the health workers should be at the core of our efforts. Political will with technical capacity to translate information into policy and action are also key ingredients of a strong, integrated health information system that will firmly support universal health care initiatives.

Despite all the benefits of EMRs, I acknowledge that challenges to implementation and sustainability remain. These include lack of human expertise and financial resource, technology adoption, issues on confidentiality, need for continuing training and technical support, and lack of automatic standardization and codification of the data entered among others . In order to address these issues, the DOH and DOST-PCHRD have taken the crucial first step. Early this year, during the 1st Philippine eHealth Summit, we have launched the Philippine eHealth Strategic Framework and Plan – the roadmap on how ICT will be used for better health care delivery in the country.

Today I believe you will hear about one of the essential underpinnings of our eHealth strategic framework – the Philippine Health Information Exchange or the PHIE. This is the flagship project of DOH and DOST to serve as a platform where health facilities can communicate and interoperate to provide better services to our citizens. Soon, using the PHIE, you will be able to access, hopefully, your medical records, retrieve your laboratory results online or even file or fill up your PhilHealth claim. All of these are designed to make our healthcare system more efficient and responsive especially those coming from geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas.

The PHIE will also allow us to share information with the local government units (LGUs), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and PhilHealth, for a more directed and focused comprehensive social and health programs.

To ensure success, the Department of Health and the Department of Science and Technology have signed a Joint National Governance on e-Health, what we call e-Health governance. This is a manifestation of our respective agency’s commitment to unite towards the finalization and implementation of the country’s e-Health Strategic Framework and Plan. Activities, programs, or projects shall be undertaken collaboratively to maximize government resources, achieve convergence of infrastructure, and deliver quality health care.

In the years to come, we envision that e-Health will enable widespread access to health care services, health information securely shared and exchange across various health-IT platforms in support of a safer, quality health care.

Again, congratulations to everyone and may you have a productive anniversary celebration and research forum.