‘Accommodate workers while changing eHealth system’

Medical sector lawmaker David Lam on Thursday welcomed the government’s plans to amend the law to boost the development of its “eHealth” platform, but hoped authorities would be flexible when implementing any changes.

The government-developed platform, launched in 2016, enables the sharing of electronic health records among healthcare providers in both the public and private sectors, while also letting people access their own records.

Under proposed changes to the Electronic Health Record Sharing System Ordinance, the secretary for health will be empowered to require all healthcare providers to enter important data into their patients’ eHealth accounts.

Healthcare providers failing to meet such requirements could face a fixed fine of HK$1,500 and be prosecuted for a fine of up to HK$50,000.

Speaking on RTHK’s Hong Kong Today programme, Lam said authorities should take into account the pressure that frontline medical workers face when considering what action to take if records weren’t uploaded in a timely fashion.

“There are still relatively elderly doctors who do not use computer systems, they are still using paper records. I think we have to assist these colleagues in changing to computer systems, or helping them in other ways, so that their records can be uploaded.”

Medical sector lawmaker David Lam on Thursday welcomed the government’s plans to amend the law to boost the development of its “eHealth” platform, but hoped authorities would be flexible when implementing any changes.

The government-developed platform, launched in 2016, enables the sharing of electronic health records among healthcare providers in both the public and private sectors, while also letting people access their own records.

Under proposed changes to the Electronic Health Record Sharing System Ordinance, the secretary for health will be empowered to require all healthcare providers to enter important data into their patients’ eHealth accounts.

Healthcare providers failing to meet such requirements could face a fixed fine of HK$1,500 and be prosecuted for a fine of up to HK$50,000.

Speaking on RTHK’s Hong Kong Today programme, Lam said authorities should take into account the pressure that frontline medical workers face when considering what action to take if records weren’t uploaded in a timely fashion.

“There are still relatively elderly doctors who do not use computer systems, they are still using paper records. I think we have to assist these colleagues in changing to computer systems, or helping them in other ways, so that their records can be uploaded.”