KUALA LUMPUR: Technical problems in accessing patient data at Selayang Hospital since May 4 has forced some 40 per cent of elective surgeries to be rescheduled.
Bernama, quoting the Health Ministry, said that the elective surgeries, which are non-emergency type of surgeries, had to be postponed as they required access to pathology reports, especially those involving cancer patients.
The technical issue had affected the hospital’s Hospital Information System (HIS) and caused much delay for patients seeking outpatient treatment.
Patients seeking inpatient service, emergency treatment and surgical emergencies, the ministry said, had to be carried out manually.
Those working in the hospital told the New Straits Times this was not the hospital's first experience when it came to system failure but was “the longest they had ever experienced”.
A doctor from the hospital said Selayang hospital had been fully computerised for a long time and there have been numerous instances when the system was down thus forcing the staff to manually chart down details.
However, she said the system would be down for about an hour or maximum up to six or seven hours.
“This is the longest we have experienced. We are trying to make everything to just work for now,” she said, adding that personnel from the Information Technology Division were doing their best to sort things out as the server was from the “dinosaur-age” as it was a 20-year old system.
Hospital staff, she said, were told that they were trying their best to fix it before the Hari Raya break.
Deputy Health Minister Dr Lee Boon Chye confirmed this saying the system was more than 20-years old.
He denied any claim of sabotage, stating that the hospital’s HIS needed to be upgraded and needed maintenance work.
“There is no sabotage. The system is just old and needs to be upgraded . The people involved are trying their best to get it done as we speak,” he said.
Dr Lee said inpatient services were not interrupted but outpatient segment suffered a “minor hiccup” causing longer waits due to manual processing.
Selayang Hospital’s Director Dr Sakinah Alwi said they have informed patients of the current situation via phone calls and social media.
The patients, she said, have been advised to bring their medical prescription or sample of medicine when meeting the doctor for references.
The NST was also made to understand that patients were given options whether or not to continue with their appointment, which might lead to a longer waiting time, or opt to reschedule their appointment to a later date.