Electronic health records of patients

INTRODUCTION of electronic health records (EHR) of patients was stressed upon a few days ago by a group of stakeholders including government officials of the health sector. They put emphasis on it in view of its importance to improve and transform the existing health system in the country. The call to immediately introduce EHR was made at a conference of which Rockefeller Foundation was one of the organizers.

EHR typically contains a patient's history of seeking medical care including diagnosis, medications, immunisations, as well as radiology images and laboratory results (WHO, 2016).

From the perspective of ensuring patient-centred quality and affordable health care in Bangladesh, where rural households are pushed into poverty at a rate of 3.4 per cent annually, EHR plays a crucial role at the decision making level for physicians in terms of treatment options.

Amid immense challenges on this front, the government already undertook a pilot project in 2015 at a hospital at Gazipur regarding this important issue.

Last but not least, EHR's role in policy formulation at the government and other stakeholders' levels including insurance companies and development agencies is undoubtedly crucial. I strongly urge upon the authorities concerned for consolidating and strengthening EHR for medical patients.

AHMK BakiBillah

Masters Student

Institute of Health Economics, University of Dhaka

[email protected]