KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — Minister of Health, Dr Christopher Tufton, says the use of modern technology in the country’s health institutions augurs well for the continued development of the sector.

Speaking at the official launch of the Medical Practice Management System (PAS-MD) at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston, yesterday, Tufton said improved technology, once used appropriately, will result in faster turnround time and satisfied clientele.“Embracing technology for the future is absolutely critical. Moving away from old outdated… paper-based systems to embracing the modern approach to doing things is going to be important for us, if we are to transition and benchmark against any private-sector entity in serving clients,” he noted further.The PAS-MD, which offers a number of features to enable the comprehensive management of a doctor’s practice and larger medical facilities, was launched by Advanced Integrated Systems.Features of PAS-MD include a patient scheduling, patient information, billing, insurance claims processing, electronic lab requisition, PAS Health apps for both doctors and patients, a payment gateway, and several others.Tufton welcomed the launch of the initiative, adding that it seeks to improve efficiency in the health sector.He gave the Government’s commitment to ensuring universal access to healthcare. “At no point, at all, do we want to be in a position where persons need healthcare and cannot access (it) because we may have placed them in a category that said they should have had some sort of health-insurance card,” he said.He noted that the provision of drugs through the National Health Fund (NHF) is the first phase of the National Insurance Health Scheme, which aims to provide solutions for financing the public health sector.Chief Executive Officer, Advanced Integrated Systems Limited, Doug Halsall, said the digitisation of hospital information and management systems will add to the efficiency of the medical community.Regarding the issue of data security, he said his company has invested heavily in systems to protect clients’ financial and medical data.“Have no fear about the storage of your data; and I can say, honestly, that perhaps the only thing more secure than the patients’ data is the financial data, which is also encrypted, but only the doctor has the decryption key,” he noted.Advanced Integrated Systems Limited and its partner, Suvarna Technosoft, are implementing PAS platforms for pharmacy and hospital management.