Soon the tedious manual method of recording, keeping and retrieving patient record in hundreds of rural health units (RHUs) in the country will be a thing of the past. This, as the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD) and the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) launched the eHATID LGU Project in Region 3 last June 17, 2015 in the City of San Fernando, Pampanga.

The eHealth Tablet for Informed Decision Making of LGUs or eHATID LGU project is envisioned to do away with much of the paper work involved in keeping patients records in RHUs through the provision of tablet devices that can generate Electric Medical Records (EMR). This makes it easier to process reports needed by government agencies such as the Department of Health and PhilHealth through a mobile application that can be accessed through any mobile device.

Dr. Dennis Batangan of the Ateneo School of Social Sciences – Institute of Philippine Culture and eHATID LGU Project Director, said that aside from the mobile application, a web-based universal health information system dashboard through which regional and provincial government units can access aggregated health reports will also be deployed to RHUs.

During the event, two units of Lenovo tablets were distributed to LGUs who have signed up for the project. These are Bacolor, Lubao, Sta. Rita and Minalin in Pampanga; Cabiao, General Natividad, Guimba, Rizal, San Isidro, San Jose City, Santa Rosa, Santo Domingo and Talavera in Nueva Ecija; Abucay, Dinalupihan, Morong, Hermosa, Bagac and Pilar in Bataan; and Bustos in Bulacan.

Municipal Health Officers and IT staff from these LGUs were also trained in the use of the device and the mobile application. To make sure that the project is implemented smoothly, regional technical assistance providers or RTAPs have also been trained to provide technical support to the LGU partners.

Aside from these municipalities, eleven LGUs in Bulacan have earlier been trained and given the tablets in turn over ceremonies and training held last May 5, 2015 at the Hiyas ng Bulacan Convention Center in Malolos.

Dr. Batangan is inviting other LGUs to be a part of the project through a letter of intent signifying their agreement to abide by the terms of the project.

Hands-on training of the participants of the eHATID app