The Minister for Health, Dr Bernard Oko-Boye, has announced significant improvements in the implementation of the Electronic Patient Record System, a key initiative under the National Digitalisation Agenda for the health sector.

Speaking during a press briefing in Accra on Wednesday, the Minister outlined the system's objectives, which include optimising business processes for cost savings, improving access to patient data and establishing a real-time bio-surveillance system to manage public health emergencies effectively.

He noted that 99.8% of hospital-level facilities are now operational, seeing the transformative impact of the system.

According to the Minister, 451 healthcare sites are actively utilising the electronic system, which has registered over 20.8 million patients and recorded 47.8 million patient visits.

"Additionally, 147,198 clinical and support staff have been trained to use the system effectively, demonstrating extensive capacity building within the sector," he added.

Dr Oko-Boye highlighted the considerable benefits already observed, including significant cost savings from eliminating manual folder printing and storage, as well as improved patient care through enhanced data portability.

"The efficiency gains have also led to reduced patient waiting times and better bed management,"

One standout achievement is the substantial reduction in claims rejection rates under the National Health Insurance Scheme, which have decreased from 15% to less than 1%.

"This improvement will ensure that more patients can access the healthcare services they need without unnecessary delays," the Minister explained.

Furthermore, the system's real-time bio-surveillance capabilities have monitored 42 disease cases, including COVID-19, thereby strengthening the country's ability to respond to public health emergencies.