Digitization of Healthcare System in Bangladesh Implementation Challenges and Health Service Impact

Abstract

To broadly examine the potential health and financial benefits of health information system (HIS), this paper compares healthcare with the use of IT in other manual system. It estimates potential savings and costs of widespread adoption of OpenMRS based systems (like Bahmni) and other digital health systems, model’s important health and safety benefits, and concludes that effective HIE implementation and networking could eventually save more than TK.500 crore annually by improving health care system efficiency and that savings while increasing health and other social benefits. However, this is unlikely to be realized without related changes to the medical record system. The developing world faces a series of health care crises that threaten the lives of millions of people. Lack of infrastructure and trained, experienced staff are considered important barriers to scaling up treatment for these diseases. In this paper we explain why digital healthcare system are important in many healthcare projects in the developing world. We discuss pilot projects demonstrating that such systems are possible and can expand to manage hundreds of thousands of patients. We also pass on the most important practical lessons in design and implementation from our experience in doing this work. Finally, we discuss the importance of collaboration between projects in the development of digital healthcare system rather than reinventing systems in isolation, and the use of open standards and open source software.