PAHO Visits Jamaica

Media Release: May 30, 2003, Markham, Ontario: PAHO visits Jamaica

Heron Technology Corporation announces that the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) sent a large delegation to Jamaica to review the Heron Patient Administration System (PAS), and Injury Surveillance System.

PAHO, the Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO), sent a delegation of eight persons to visit with Ministry of Health officials in Jamaica from March 10 to 14, 2003. The nature of the trip was to review in detail the success of the country's PAS implementation, now operational in 11 of the largest hospitals in Jamaica, representing over 70% of the country's 4,000 hospital beds.

The PAHO delegation consisted of 4 PAHO Officers, and 4 senior health officials from Eastern Caribbean countries interested in computerization. The delegation visited 3 local hospitals to observe the PAS and Injury Surveillance systems in live operation, and conducted meetings with senior Ministry of Health, Regional and Hospital officials. Following this PAHO delegation visit to Jamaica, Heron Technology has been invited to visit area countries, and interest has been expressed in emulating the success of Jamaica throughout the Region. A major consideration is to have a standardized Surveillance (Injury, HIV/AIDS, OHS, TB, etc.) System throughout the Caribbean Region, and this remains a possibility.

This PAS implementation was started in 1997, and will be completed as soon as the health budget permits, and this is scheduled for 2003/04. This activity permits such data to be converted to meaningful information in the pursuit of being better able to provide enhanced health services in its Member countries. PAHO issued a 700-page book on health care computerization in 1999, which sets out guidelines to encourage countries in this matter.

Jamaica has successfully implemented a standardized PAS, supplied by Heron Technology, and has managed to support it within the country's budget since the beginning in 1997. All hospitals have the same PAS software, and training has been on a multi-hospital group basis to reduce costs. Jamaica has implemented this system in spite of its challenges as a developing country, with a relatively low GDP per capita (US$ 3,000) per year when compared to the developed countries (over US$ 20,000 per year).

Recently, the journal 'Injury Control and Safety Promotion' devoted its whole [57 pages] Volume 9 [December 2002] to Injury Surveillance in Jamaica (called the Jamaica Injury Surveillance System - JISS). A quote from the Journal: "The software requirements for the JISS were incorporated into the existing LINUX-based Patient Administration System by adding a module called 'Projects', which had the flexibility to be coded locally for data collection on any selected disease or topic."

Heron can be contacted at <www.herontech.com>, or (905) 475-8050

END