Online Reporter
Rumbidzayi Zinyuke-Senior Health Reporter
MORE than 1 200 public health facilities have been onboarded onto the Impilo Electronic Health Records (EHR) system as the Government intensifies efforts to modernise healthcare delivery and phase out paper-based records.
The Impilo EHR system is a home-grown digital platform designed to digitise patient medical records and create a centralised, accessible platform for healthcare information.
Through the system, patient details such as medical history, diagnoses, prescriptions, allergies, laboratory results and radiology images are stored electronically and can be instantly accessed by authorised healthcare providers.
This real-time access enhances decision-making, reduces medical errors and allows for faster interventions when emergencies arise.
In addition, the system integrates advanced features such as electronic prescribing, order entry for laboratory tests and imaging, clinical decision support tools and a patient portal where individuals can securely access their medical records, schedule appointments and communicate directly with healthcare professionals.
It also generates reports and analytics that help in tracking stock levels, managing health trends and supporting national health research.
Initially piloted in rural health centres, the system has now been extended to major hospitals such as Chitungwiza Central Hospital and United Bulawayo Hospitals.
Deployment is currently underway at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals and the paediatric unit of the Sally Mugabe Central Hospital in Harare.
According to director of informatics and data analytics in the Ministry of Health and Child Care Dr Simukai Zizhou, the rollout is part of a broader digital health strategy aimed at improving efficiency, accountability and patient outcomes across the country’s healthcare system.
“When we started, we thought it would go slow, but because people have seen the utility of the Impilo EHR, we have been asked to cover all institutions by December 31, 2025,” he said.
“It’s a tough target, but I think we are on course to ensure we cover all these facilities.
For any new sites, they are actually starting paperless, while for the rest, we are working on digitising all records.”
Although the initial target was 1 864 facilities, the construction of new centres has pushed the figure close to 2 000.
To date, Impilo has been deployed in 1 254 institutions, with around 60 percent fully operational, while the remainder are in transition. Connectivity and power supply remain some of the biggest obstacles to the system’s expansion, while high data costs also pose challenges.
To address these issues, the Government has begun installing 500 Starlink kits at selected sites.
One such site is Gokwe North, where Impilo Engage, a telemedicine platform integrated with EHR, is being piloted.
“With seamless connectivity, we are able to view what is happening at facilities in real-time, see if there are stockouts and respond quickly,” added Dr Zizhou.
“Our ultimate goal is to remove all paper records and operate fully digitally, but this has to be done in stages to avoid disruptions.”
He added that councils were being engaged to cover data subscriptions under their e-health governance strategies, while discussions were ongoing with the Ministry of ICT, Postal and Courier Services to establish a Government-owned virtual private network (VPN) to strengthen data security and reduce reliance on third-party providers.
“If we own our own software without licensing requirements, we will not have a situation in the future where if you fail to pay for a licence, your data is locked. This ensures national control over critical health data,” he said.
The impact of the system, he said, is already being felt at the operational level, with nurses and doctors now spending more time with patients instead of filling in manual registers, while automated dashboards have significantly reduced the time taken to compile monthly reports.
Beyond public health facilities, the Ministry of Health is also working on the Zimbabwe Health Information Exchange, an initiative that will integrate data from both public and private health providers.
The Impilo EHR is being offered free of charge to private institutions, although they are expected to cover their own hardware and networking costs, he added.
