New information system to boost maternal, child health programme
Guyana Chronicle
April 11, 2007
THE Health Ministry is implementing a Perinatal Information System (SIP) in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) and CLAP, a PAHO/WHO (World Health Organisation) specialised Centre for Perinatology.
The system was developed by CLAP and is used throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, the ministry said yesterday.
The ministry said the information system will help it
** provide a database for planning
** offer a data standard
** provide a communication tool for the different health providers over distance and time
** provide reliable local statistics
** train perinatal health staff
** record data of legal importance
** provide an audit tool
** characterise the population
** evaluate health care quality
** rank problems
** perform epidemiologic research
The ministry said the SIP will become part of a total health information system in the country and as part of the programme a new Maternal Child Health Card will be introduced.
This, it said, will bring Guyana in harmony with the Perinatal Health Information system in Latin America and the Caribbean.
In preparation for its immediate implementation, the ministry and PAHO are conducting a three-day workshop at the Cara Lodge hotel in Georgetown with personnel from the health sector across the country.
The ministry said opening remarks were presented by Dr. Madan Rambarran, Director of Professional and Medical Services; Dr. Kathleen Israel, Country Representative of PAHO, and Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, Minister of Health. The workshop is facilitated by personnel from Washington, St Vincent and Barbados.
In his opening remarks, Ramsammy observed that the introduction of the Perinatal Information System is critical in improving the quality of Guyana’s Maternal and Child Health programme.
The ministry said he also observed that the SIP will become an important new component of an integrated computerised health information system which is already being implemented in parts of the health sector.