Expensive, health minister says on implementing electronic medical record system
Dr Zaliha Mustafa says the budget for this might reach a billion ringgit as it would require the upgrading of hospital infrastructure.
Cost is a challenge for the health ministry in implementing the electronic medical record (EMR) system at hospitals nationwide, the Parliament was told today.
Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said that implementation of the system would require a high budget, which might reach a billion ringgit as it would require the upgrading of hospital infrastructure.
She added that the sustainability of buildings would also have to be taken into account.
"The existing equipment is also old, so we need to upgrade it, either by repairing or replacing it with new ones. This also contributes to the high budget requirement, in addition to the cost of the system itself.
"For the complete implementation of this system, we need cooperation from the finance ministry," she said during Minister's Question Time.
She was responding to a supplementary question from Tan Hong Pin (PH-Bakri) who asked when the EMR system could be fully integrated and about the constraints faced by the ministry in implementing it.
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