R500m e-health tender to be evaluated this year

Johannesburg, 06 Oct 2006

A large tender issued by the State IT Agency (SITA) earlier this year, for the procurement of an electronic health record system, will be adjudicated before the end of the year.

This is according to SITA spokesman Sifiso Ndlazi, who explains the evaluation of the tender has several phases. "The first phase was completed on 18 August; the second phase commences on 16 October for a week. After this, it will resume again from 30October to 3 November."

Ndlazi adds the evaluation process is expected to be completed by the end of November. "It is planned that the recommendation will be tabled to the adjudication committee early in December."

Expected to streamline and coordinate medical records and information across the nation`s public healthcare facilities, the electronic system has been estimated to be worth about R500 million.

Sixteen technology companies submitted proposals in July, but SITA is unable to divulge who they are, or give any indication on when the tender will actually be awarded.

Seen as part of SITA`s drive to bring new e-government services into the market, the health tender has the following goals:

* Integrate all health record systems in the country;
* Develop a population healthcare base;
* Improve administration, planning and policymaking at both national and provincial level;
* Enable national monitoring and evaluation of health trends;
* Track patients for continuing healthcare;
* Reduce medical errors; and
* Improve the referral system.

At a conference this week, SITA CEO Mavuso Msimang outlined that SITA understands e-government to mean "applications, systems and technologies allowing government to interact with itself, citizens and the private sector through electronic means".

The government has developed an e-government framework, he told delegates, adding that SITA has prioritised departments that directly and most commonly interact with citizens. The Department of Health is one of those that have been prioritised.