MOH News

MOH Develops the Hajj Information and Statistical Technology System
01 October 2014
The Information Technology and Statistics Committee plays vital role to render the pilgrimage season a success from different sides, including the transfer and analysis of data in no time for preparing accurate stats that help take the right decision at the right time. The committee always aspires to be successful by offering the latest technology and improving the output of used systems, thereby raising the caliber of the service to pilgrims. 
 
For his part, the Supervisor of Hajj Projects and the Deputy Chairman of the Information Technology and Statistics Committee, Eng. Rakan bin Farhan El-Anzi, said that the committee has set up a number of projects and outlined an accurate action plan for the 1435H’s Hajj season, atop of which was the development of infrastructure of Mina Emergency Hospital (headquarters), including its main data center.
 
In the same vein, Dr. El-Anzi stressed that the committee, as part of its endeavors to upgrade the hospital, installed security systems for detection of fire and moisture to keep modems in service. “The committee has also imported and installed a number of modems to serve all health facilities during the Hajj season, thus bringing the total number of modems to 41 ones,” said Dr. El-Anzi, adding that a program and date backup is made on a daily basis. He also highlighted that a control room was established to operate interactive displays of the Command and Control Center, which is tasked with managing pilgrims’ health affairs during the Hajj season.
Meanwhile, Dr. El-Anzi underscored that all the Command and Control Center’s visual communication means available at all Hajj Sites’ hospitals and emergency rooms, as well as interactive displays and remote surveillance cameras were upgraded as well.
 
Speaking about the wired and wireless networks as well as the protection systems, Dr. El-Anzi said the committee has installed and operated the MOH-owned wireless network, which will help link all the health facilities located at the Holy Sites, Makkah and Madinah to each other making use of the high-quality microwave and broadband technologies.
 
“This link service acts as an alternative to the optical fibers provided by the Saudi Telecom Company,” said Dr. Anzi, highlighting that it will operate only in cases of technical failures. In addition, he illustrated that the MOH has established wireless communication towers with speed of up to 2.5 gigabits on Mount Khandma and the Eastern Mountain to link sites wirelessly. These newly-established towers cover 113 health sites.
 
In the same context, Dr. Anzi noted that surveillance cameras were installed and operated at the emergency sections of the hospitals located in the Holy Sites, Makkah and Madinah.  “Also, the committee has installed and set up a data center environment monitoring system, a technology with sensors to measure heat and moisture at the main data center for protection purposes,” Dr. Anzi said, noting that the software of the network management center was set up as well.
 
As for the domestic wired network, Dr. Anzi said the committee was keen to upgrade it at all health centers and hospitals. “This included installing, operating and extending the domestic wired network to cover 15 health centers and all the Holy Sites’ hospitals; that’s to be added to importing and installing more than 100 personal computers and their hardware at all health centers and hospitals,” he said, adding that the committee has run also the e-link service to transfer data with the Saudi Telecom Company; that’s to be added to installing software to protect the network.
 
“Over and above, the Business Intelligence Program has been developed,” he continued. “It aims at displaying information and statistics based on accurate and precise indicators, in the form of regular graphs. In so doing, the program facilitates control and monitoring for decision-takers, as well as developing the statistical system and linking it to hospitals' health systems.
 
In other words, it connects all the health utilities with one another, for the purpose of collecting the data of pilgrims and other visitors of health utilities in Makkah, Madinah and the Holy Sites, thus relying less on paperwork. It covers a wide range of functions, such as registration, hospital admission, referral, etc. It is a system that provides statistical reports on pilgrims' health status for the various relevant bodies in health facilities and media.
 
It also seeks to follow up diseases, and help take the proper decision in due time.”
“All the more,” he further expounded, “the Digital Pen System has been developed for outpatient clinics (Phase 2). It aims at submitting personal and medical information by using the state-of-the-art technologies; that is the 'digital pen' and the bulleted models prepared for that end. 600 digital pens have been already distributed to 15 centers, in addition to 2 hospitals.
 
The said development has covered numerous sections, including those of monitoring, bandage, instant reports. Also, models for emergency, admission and discharge have been introduced. That is to be added to developing and operating the Ambulance Follow-up Program, which aims at follow up the traffic situation, and providing this service for ambulance drivers, so as to follow the smoothest and least congested roads, so as to transport the patients referred to other health utilities (either inside or outside the Holy Sites). It seeks also to enable supervisors to search for the nearest ambulance to provide on-site assistance to pilgrims. The remainder of ambulances (totaling 175) have been equipped with the system as well.”
 
“So far as the Systems Integrative Linking Program is concerned,” he concluded, “it aims to overcome obstacles, link e-systems to one another, and ensuring their integration, in a manner that makes data transfer between them easier, so that the decision-maker becomes well, directly and accurately informed. To that end, new screens have been added to make users' work easier, in addition to linking the various e-systems to one another (the Digital Pen System and the Hajj Statistical System).”



Last Update : 04 October 2014 09:10 AM
Reading times :