The May Pen Hospital in Clarendon is the first public hospital to implement an Electronic Health Records (EHR) system in the country.

The system, for which a contract was signed last February, was launched at the hospital on Thursday morning.

Dubbed “a game changer” and a “historic move” the EHR system is being implemented as part of the health systems strengthening programme.

Speaking at the launch, Health and Wellness Minister, Dr. Christopher Tufton explained that the transition from a paper-based system paves the way for enhanced technology, reduced patient wait time and improvements in data security, among other things.

Dr. Tufton also noted that the EHR will allow healthcare providers access, to review a patient’s full medical history, through a database, whether at a health centre or hospital.

This he said will enable health professionals to access patients’ medical history in a controlled environment to deliver faster responses.