SYSTEMS WOES IN SELAYANG HOSPITAL

40pc of elective surgeries rescheduled as hospital can’t access patients’ data

TECHNICAL problems in accessing patient data at Selayang Hospital since May 4 have forced the hospital to reschedule about 40 per cent of elective surgeries.

The Health Ministry, as quoted by Bernama, said elective surgeries, which are non-emergency surgeries, had to be postponed as

they required access to pathology reports, especially those involving cancer patients.

The technical issue had affected the Hospital Information System (HIS), causing delays in outpatient treatment.

The ministry said data for patients seeking inpatient services, emergency treatment and surgical emergencies had to be keyed in manually.

Hospital staff told the New

Straits Times that while this was not the first time the system had failed, it was the longest they had ever experienced.

A doctor said the hospital’s system was fully computerised and there had been incidences where the system failed, forcing hospital staff to manually key in patients’ details.

However, she said, the system would usually be restored after an hour, and the longest period it was non-responsive was between six and seven hours.

“This is the longest system failure we have experienced. We are trying to find ways to make things work for now.”

She said the personnel from the hospital’s Information Technology Division were doing their best to sort things out seeing that the server was 20 years old.

Hospital staff, she said, were informed that the systems glitch would be resolved before the Hari Raya Aidilfitri break.

Deputy Health Minister Dr Lee Boon Chye confirmed the technical issue.

He said the problem was due to the 20-year-old system.

He denied claims of sabotage, stating that HIS needed to be upgraded.

“The people involved are trying their best to get it done as we speak.”

Dr Lee said inpatient services were not interrupted, while outpatient services suffered a “minor hiccup”, and longer waiting hours due to manual processing.

Selayang Hospital director Dr Sakinah Alwi said they informed patients of the situation through phone and social media.

The patients, she said, had been advised to bring their medical prescriptions or samples of medicine when they met their doctors for references.

The NST was made to understand that patients were given the option of continuing with their appointment, which may lead to a longer waiting time, or rescheduling their appointment to a later date.