ALOR STAR: The state Health Department has confirmed a glitch in the Total Hospital Information System (THIS) at Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital (HSAH) in Sungai Petani on Sunday.
Kedah Health Department director Dr Ismuni Bohari said that the incident disrupted access to the system starting at 7am, as staff were unable to retrieve patients' records.
"Investigations revealed that one of the application servers malfunctioned. The disruption became more severe when the specialist clinics began their operations, causing a spike in system traffic as users started the patient registration process.
"The hospital activated its 'Business Continuity Plan' in stages as a temporary measure to mitigate the impact of the system failure on patient management.
"Immediate steps were taken to observe system performance and implement recovery actions to comprehensively address the issue," he said in a statement today.
He added that, as a long-term solution, the Health Ministry and the Kedah Health Department are planning to upgrade the existing system from a server-based setup to a cloud-based system to prevent future occurrences.
Dr Ismuni also said the department is closely monitoring the situation at HSAH to ensure that the repair work and recovery of the online system proceed smoothly, minimising any impact on patient services