The National Health Information System (HIS) Program was devoted to develop and implement a sustainable, comprehensive and integrated automated system to reform the Palestinian Health Management System and ultimately advance the Healthcare Sector in Palestine.
In cooperation with the Palestinian Ministry of Health (MoH) and with the support from the USAID; Dimensions Consulting led a joint venture with DataSel (international software company) and partnering with a number of local Palestinian companies and international health informatics companies in executing this four years, 15 million US dollar project.
Health information management is crucial to ensure the sustainable reform of the Palestinian health system and support the Ministry of Health’s ambitions to provide the best possible quality of care for all citizens. No health system can function properly without rapid, accurate, and structured gathering and analysis of data for decision making, management, and tracking of the population’s health.
With project support, Dimensions Consulting along with the Palestinian Ministry of Health created a national-level, computerized health information system. The HIS is a facility-based and patient-centered system that provides relevant, timely, and accurate data to support evidence-based policymaking. In line with its National Health Information Strategy, the ministry uses Dimensions HIS to promote and sustain the health of the Palestinian population, more efficiently plan and allocate its resources, and monitor public health trends.
By the installment year, the ministry was able to provide health services through Dimensions HIS to 77 percent of Palestinians living in the West Bank through 17 facilities in eight governorates. The system expanded to include the first non-ministry facility in 2014. Al-Makassed Hospital in Jerusalem adopted the HIS, after signing a memorandum of understanding with Dimensions and the ministry, which now has an open-license software package purchased by USAID. Al-Makassed is the first private facility to come on line with the system.
With two-thirds of the public hospitals accessing the HIS, the ministry is well placed to continue to roll out a national HIS that will provide an integrated network through which health data and patient information can be shared, improving patient care and providing relevant and timely data for decision-makers. The ministry now maintains comprehensive medical records for more than 1,000,000 patients across health facilities, which is a foundation for enabling better decision making by health providers on three levels: national, district, and facility. In addition, providers are now referring patients to other HIS facilities (within levels and across levels), passing patient records, including prescriptions and laboratory results, directly to the next physician who will examine the patient.
VIDEO (Advancing Health in a Digital Age: Introducing the Palestinian Health Information System): A computerized health information system donated by USAID has modernized health care for the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Change is visible everywhere, according to hospital administrators and clinicians.
