Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health and GE deliver the first phase of its digital health MOU

The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health and GE have delivered the first phase of its landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) focused on digital transformation in healthcare.

Driving positive change in the Kingdom’s healthcare sector, it will aim to implement innovative digital solutions to support the country’s National Transformation Plan and the aims of Saudi Vision 2030.

One of the country’s key technological solutions is the launch of cloud-based Electronic Medical Record (EMR), a to store an entire healthcare journey through a digital platform.

GE’s comprehensive and secure Predix platform for Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) applications enables the ability to store large volumes of patient data, and is optimised for high volume, low latency, and integration-intensive data management and analytics to drive positive patient outcomes and high quality of care.

 The EMR platform is currently utilised in three main MOH hospitals in the Kingdom: Al Kharj Maternity & Children’s Hospital, Al Bukayriyah General Hospital, and Yanbu General Hospital.

Through Predix, healthcare providers and patients will gain increased access towards diagnosis and treatment, where a user’s profile will detail all touch points with different departments and facilities.

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This will therefore enable health professionals to look at the process of certain medical conditions and identify when patients need to be seen. It will also seek to reduce the number of manual based errors, such as incorrectly inputting data, as well as turnaround times. The technology will therefore provide a holistic view of patients’ visits, results, and conditions.

Through the partnership, the Ministry of Health and GE have co-created a bespoke tool that encourages fast adoption through ease-of-use. While some hospitals have as many as 200 disparate systems, EMR has integrated the clinical, laboratory, nursing, pharmacy, radiology, finance, and pathology departments into a single platform.

A training programme has also been established for both users and vendors within hospital networks through this flexible, scalable platform.

“This is a significant step in the transformation of the Kingdom’s healthcare sector in line with the goals of our leadership to enhance patient care and deliver the highest quality of service,” explained H.E. Dr. Tawfiq Al Rabiah, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Health.

“The welfare and well-being of our people is a fundamental priority of the leadership, and we see significant opportunity in leveraging digital solutions for boosting healthcare delivery. GE’s partnership with MOH is a pioneering example of how Saudi Arabia is redefining our healthcare landscape through best-in-class solutions.”

John Flannery, Chairman and CEO of GE, said, “This new innovative technology will deliver tangible, game-changing results for healthcare providers and patients across the Kingdom.  The more relevant information that healthcare providers have about their patients, the better positioned they are to serve their needs.”