Within the framework of efforts exerted by the Ministry of Health (MOH) to make use of the new technologies in the field of public health, the Ministry has kept on working with the (HESN) system during the pilgrimage season of this year.
As such, the Ministry aims to reinforce the public health, seen as a main objective for the Public Health Agency, through using the modern techniques and means of electronic communication; in an endeavor to support the tasks and responsibilities of the Agency, which focus on the prevention of communicable and non-communicable diseases, reinforcement of the environmental health, and improvement of health behavior, depending on accurate and high standards not less than those applied in the healthily and technically-developed countries.
His Excellency the Under Secretary of Information Technology and Health Economics, and the Head of Hajj Information Technology and Statistics Committee, Dr. Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Yamani, said that the (HESN) system is a coherent and flexible system available on the internet and it is considered the prepared version of the public health system to monitor and manage diseases and epidemics.
Dr. Al-Yamani added that the system provides the health workers and decision-makers with accurate information, which helps render high-level health services, through using a number of services and programs to preserve the public health and primary health care.
Dr. Al-Yamani added that this system has been developed in Canada due to the continuing need to monitor and limit the spread of infectious diseases such as influenza, and to follow up vaccinations.
The system also offers services and programs to preserve public health and primary health care.
Moreover, Dr. Al-Yamani reported that the system is flexible to suit the requirements of health care, which vary according to geographic area, adding that the system is applied in the Saudi Arabia in a manner commensurate with the requirements of each region according to its characteristics and needs.
In the same context, Dr. Al-Yamani pointed out that the HESN system currently contains several units such as communicable and epidemiological diseases finding, epidemiological diseases outbreak, vaccinations and inoculations, inoculation and vaccine materials stockpile, organizing work and managing it, reporting, and public health reports; given that new units are to be added in the future.
In conclusion, Dr. Al-Yamani highlighted that the importance of HESN system lies in unifying the health processes, models, and reports in the Kingdom as a whole electronically.
This in turn is to increase the preciseness of information and reduce differences with regard to recording it between regions and the MOH's facilities. The obtaining of health information and statistics through paperwork causes a lot of mistakes, in addition that its reviewing requires more effort.
This in turn complicates and delays the process of retrieving information and verifying of it; and by applying HESN all these obstacles will be avoided.