Medical expert says e-medicine can generate revenue, check fraud in hospitals

Dr Joseph Onaji, a medical practitioner says e-medicine can generate revenue and check fraud in government hospitals.

Onaji, while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja, said that the computerisation of operations of hospitals had made service delivery more efficient.

This, according to him, can also lead to the increase of revenue generation in these hospitals.

“The automated system which starts from the point of registration of the patient to the point of payment for prescribed drugs now in use in some hospitals has made service delivery more efficient.

“It is now also possible for hospitals to generate more revenue for the government because nobody can easily manipulate the records of money paid.

“Unlike before when everything done is written and people can add or subtract figures; this can no longer be done because as soon as the figures are entered into the system it is registered.

“So this has greatly curtailed fraud in the system and government can to a great extent, have a forecast of how much is generated by each hospital.’’

According to him, it has also reduced the amount of money government spends on printing record sheets and other documentation forms for the day-to-day running of hospitals.

Speaking on the effect of the automated system on the workforce in hospitals, Onaji said it had made their work easier and more efficient.

“Now, a patient’s record is in the system; even if you are not the doctor that saw him or her during the last visit, at first contact with the patient you already know about the patient.

“You can make your own observations of the patient on the outcome of the last visit and also input your diagnosis and treatment in the computer in the event that he still meets with a different doctor so the treatment is not stalled.

“Again, even the diagnoses, prescription and dosage of medicines for each ailment is already in the system and the doctor does not have to contemplate on what to prescribe or the dosage.

“You do not have to deal with cumbersome papers again to get information, you can just go to the type of record you want and you will get it. This helps doctors to deal with issues faster.

“Nigeria is catching up on e-medicine now and our government needs to encourage it to curtail fraud, generate revenue and achieve a more effective and efficient service delivery in all hospitals.”

He also urged government to ensure that members of staff of the hospital were constantly trained in order for them to be at par with their colleagues in other parts of the world.

“Being a new approach, hitches may be observed along the line, but with constant training and refresher courses, the system will be perfected to the utmost benefit of the citizenry,” Onaji said.