Typical patient files at hospitals will soon be replaced by online electronic data. The ministry of health plans to apply a new technique wherein a patient's health record can be obtained from the computer within seconds. Sultan Ba-Habri, Secretary General of the Council of Health Affairs in Makkah, said these e-health programs will enable doctors to exchange information with consultants inside and outside the Kingdom without the need to actually transfer the patient. The council is training graduates including those from secondary schools to fill in 22,000 posts in the health sector in Makkah Region. “Health management programs in various disciplines like nursing, pharmacy, radiology, dental, installation service, functional rehabilitation, and secretarial medical records and advanced accounting and computer programming will start soon,” Ba-Habri said. An annual function to celebrate developments in the health sector will be held here on Monday at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The fourth batch of trainees and apprentice institutes and health colleges will be inaugurated. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah, will patronize the function. __
