Health services shall be made accessible and of quality using technology: Minister Basnet

KATHMANDU: Minister for Health and Population (MoHP) Mohan Bahadur Basnet has pledged to make health services accessible and of quality with the adoption of various methods and technology.

In a message on the occasion of Digital Health Day today, he said the health service will be rendered affordable, efficient, accessible and with quality by means of ‘digital health’.

The Ministry had implemented the ‘E-Health Roadmap’ on July 20, 2019 and it has been observing the 4th of the Nepali month Saun every year as the Digital Health Day in commemoration of the implementation of the Roadmap.

On the occasion, the Health Minister also thanked those involved in preparing the E-Health Strategy, 2074 and its Roadmap to facilitate the former’s implementation. The Ministry has reached to the stage of implementing the ‘Digital Health’, the expanded form of the concept of ‘E-Health’ brought by the World Health Organisation. The concept is related to the use of information technology in the health sector.

“We have taken Digital Health as a tool to enhance the professional capacity of the health workers by modernising and expanding the managerial capacity of the health sector and rendering the health services affordable, accessible, efficient and of quality,” stated the Health Minister. He expressed confidence that health services based on the technology will address issues as shortage of specialist human resources in the health sector and also minimize the time, expenses and efforts required for availing the health services.

According to him, the Ministry is committed to stop the misuse of technology and ensuring that people from the remote areas and those under exclusion are given priority in accessing health care services.

“We have taken the responsibility of universal accessibility to quality health service and there is provision for a policy of adopting all types of ways and technology to fulfil this responsibility,” said the Health Minister. He viewed that increasing people’s trust towards digital services by ensuring the confidentiality and security of health information is the future challenge.

He shared that it was necessary to make health service management technology-friendly by developing the capacity of human resources at a time where was no option to be included in the global competition of information technology.

The Ministry has already called government bodies, partners, expert communities, educational institutions and the journalism sector, working for regulation, development and expansion, for collaboration as the implementation of digital health would be possible only from multilateral cooperation and initiatives.

As per the information census of 2021, around 73 per cent of households have at least one smart mobile phone, as well as around half per cent of families, have access to television and 38 per cent family have access to internet.

Similarly, 55 per cent health institutions have computers with internet service which show that the use of information and technology is increasing in the health sector, added the Ministry.

Minister Basnet mentioned that the Ministry has taken responsibility for universal access to quality health service, clarifying that there is a policy to adopt all types of measures and methods to fulfill it.

He further said that digital health has been taken as the tool to increase the professional capacity of health workers making health services economical, smooth, accessible and qualitative by increasing and modernizing the managerial capacity of the health sector.

The Health Minister urged to increase the scope of information technology gradually after making list of works in an initial manner in the sectors like—strengthening health information systems, other health services with telemedicine and digital technology, mass media and health education, emergency health and human resources management.