By Rocío Mellas
The Congress of the State of Tamaulipas has unanimously approved a law creating an Electronic Heath Record. The initiative, the first of its kind in Mexico, was presented by the PAN Parliamentary Group and seeks to prevent medical errors and duplication of information. It will also generate information for the development of public health policies.
“The Electronic Health Record (EHR) is a tool that will help to improve the quality, safety and efficiency of the healthcare services,” said Deputy María Teresa Corral Garza, the author of the project, which was presented in 2011.
With this digital tool, and as part of efforts to technologically modernize the health system, the Commission of Health and Legislative Studies seeks to protect users’ rights and provide quality medical care.
Its implementation will avoid duplication of prescriptions, tests and studies; it will allow laboratory results and images to be transferred electronically to a hospital administration system; and it will reduce risk in the emergency room as the medical staff will have immediate access to the patient’s relevant information – such as allergies, diseases and treatments.
“We are the first state in Mexico to have a Law of this kind, so it is a historic step and an example for the nation. The implementation of the EHR is a challenge for the state of Tamaulipas in the 21st Century because the creation of a digital hospital means a paradigm change in the use of health records, the use of clinical files with virtual information and today that challenge is on the path to becoming a reality that will optimize the enforcement of the human right to health,” added Corral Garza.
Furthermore, the members of the Commissions of Government and Legislative Studies, led by the Deputies José Antonio Martínez Torres and Jorge Luis Camorlinga Guerra, approved the initiative for the Law of the Advanced Electronic Signature, which seeks to build legislation that regulates certified electronic signatures on documents and electronic media.
Sources: Congreso del Estado de Tamaulipas, Diputada María Teresa Corral Garza
