Blanco Clinic Linked onto Primary Health Care Information System

Blanco Clinic in George is the latest Primary Health Care facility to be linked onto the Primary Health Care Information system (PHCIS). The Western Cape Department of Health now have eighty-five (85) health facilities linked to the electronic information system.

Western Cape Minister of Health said: "The process of adding all our patients to an electronic database is an extremely important step for this province, and I am delighted that the plan is coming together. The information system will specifically benefit patients in rural areas, and I am proud that our staff are embracing the system."

The database will make a significant impact on waiting times. Minister Botha is committed to improve waiting times and public health care facilities such as clinics and the implementation of the database is a major step towards the achievement of that goal. "It is unacceptable for poor people to receive poor service. This provincial government is stepping up our services to make sure that queues get shorter and service better."

The system will interface with the Hospital Information System to ensure that each patient in the Western Cape has a unique patient number, which means that whichever facility the patient visits, their demographic information will be immediately available when they produce the unique number. This will help speed up health care services to our patients.

The PHCIS enables primary health care facilities such as Community Health Centers, Community Day Centers and Clinics to manage patient information electronically. It will improve patient administration, reduce patient waiting time and provide information on clinic visits, electronic appointment and patient statistics for provincial and national data sets.

Freda Figland, better known as Aunty Isa, a sixty-four (64) year old Receptionist Clerk at Blanco Clinic is very positive about the new electronic system and has embraced the new change with much enthusiasm. She says that this will enable her to find the files much quicker than before.

Issued by:
Directorate Communications
Western Cape Department of Health