Patients at Jinja Regional Referral Hospital will now have their medical records managed electronically after hospital officials rolled out a new digital records system.
Dr Alfred Yayi, a Senior Executive Consultant at the hospital, said the Ministry of Health, with support from development partners, had facilitated the rollout of the Electronic Medical Records system.
According to Dr Yayi, the system applies to all patients seeking treatment at both Nalufenya Children’s Hospital and Jinja Regional Referral Hospital.
Upon arrival, patients’ details are entered into the electronic system and each is assigned a unique patient number. The number will be used during subsequent visits to either facility, eliminating repeated paper-based registration.
Dr Yayi explained the hospital installed a Local Area Network connected to software called Clinical Master, enabling health workers to register patients electronically and share medical information with clinical officers for diagnosis and treatment.
Once a clinical officer examines a patient, any required laboratory tests are requested electronically and the patient is referred to the lab. After tests are completed, results are uploaded into the system and sent directly to the clinical officer for review and prescription.
‘This process of taking patients’ detains and diagnostics are all done electronically without any paperwork that it was before. This is one of the ways to appreciate digital medical transformation systems to save the environment,’ Dr Yayi said.
Hospital officials say the EMR system is expected to streamline records management, improve data accuracy, and make it easier for health workers to access patient histories promptly. It is also expected to reduce errors linked to paper-based documentation and improve overall efficiency.
Asked if the system would share records during referrals to Mulago Hospital, Dr Yayi said there were still challenges. ‘Access to patient information is confidential and currently restricted to Jinja Hospital,’ he said.
Dr Yayi added the hospital is not yet in a position to share patients’ medical records electronically, noting referrals are still handled manually as the system is being developed.
He noted that in countries such as Kenya, discussions are already underway on how to integrate patient data sharing across hospitals.
Dr Yayi clarified that patient numbers are issued only when an individual presents at the hospital for medical attention.