Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 39

Case Study Example Previously SCHUH and its four regional institutions utilized different information technology systems that is, Picture archiving and Communications system (PaCS), Electronic payment systems and Electronic Medical Records (EMRs). They helped manage imaging data from computer tomography scanning systems and magnetic resource imaging. This ended up with patient carrying all the relevant medical records and results when they were transferred in the various hospitals. This saw an incredible long and time consuming process as the data was manually entered into the system. To make it worse sometimes doubled diagnostic tests thus duplication of work was observed as the different institutions could not easily share patients histories thus ended up with wasted costs and efforts. Timely delivery of test results from MRI, CT-scans and X-rays was also challenging due to different existing systems in the four regional hospitals. Preparing imaging data to refer patients to relevant physicians could take up to three days which majorly slowed the diagnostic process. SCHUH launched the integrated medical information systems (IMIS) project as a measure to solve this impending havoc. Main objective was to replace the information silos located at the four hospital sites with a centralized source of patient data, namely a data warehouse. IBM was approached to deliver the data warehouse which was to include storage systems for each hospital medical record and PaCS data. To ensure security and resiliency of patient record, each storage system is backed up offsite. Historical patient data is to be held for a predetermined time period before being archived as magnetic tape. The system transmits its patient data in between the hospital via a secure private network. Each hospital is able to access the data warehouse using a web browser. Consolidation of patient data in the warehouse has seen

How best can transportation facilities be improved in Namibia,a Dissertation

How best can transportation facilities be improved in Namibia,a country of only 2million people - Dissertation Example The main objective of this study is to do a critical analysis of how a non performing transport sector affects the economy; understanding the challenges facing the different transport sectors by providing the necessary policy recommendations; outlining of other possible contributing factors; and, finally trying to find both long and short term solutions available to the sectors relative to the specific transportation challenges. There is not much research done in this area in the past which is the basic reason for my conducting this research. Background Namibia, then called South West Africa, became a German colony in the 1880’s. After the defeat of Germany in the First World War, the mandate to rule the territory was handed to South Africa, which by implication brought apartheid in Namibia. In 1990, Namibia gained its independence, after a brutal war of Independence from South Africa. Since independence, Namibia has been looking into increasing its exports in terms of its nat ural resources and products on the international front and it has advanced in this aspect. However, the biggest challenges hampering effectiveness of increased trade lies more towards the logistics aspect and the management of its respective SOEs. Namibia’s geographical position and transport infrastructure is such that it has become a transit country for Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia, which are its bordering and surrounding countries. These countries carry out export and import business across overseas countries through Namibian maritime transport. Other coastal countries and regions to which Namibia provides its transport facilities for business purposes include the region of Gauteng in South Africa; the Kunene and Cuando provinces in Angola; the Katanga province and Lubumbashi town in Congo. Due to this fact, these challenges are hampering the performance of the transport sector, and the fact that the services are spiraling down it does not really help the situation. Accor ding to Bernan (p.80), â€Å"Namibia considers the development of transit transport as contributing to the overall economic development of the country† and due to this fact, the government of Namibia has invested tremendously in the maintenance of its transit transport infrastructure. Currently, Namibian transport sector faces challenges related to the â€Å"expansion, modernization, upgrading and maintenance of road, rail, air and maritime transport facilities†, affirms the National Planning Commission, Namibia (2004, p.478). Bernan (p.81) suggests that the railway should be extended into Botswana all the way to South Africa because the railway infrastructure is still limited to only a few hundred kilometers near the border of Botswana somewhere between Walvis Bay and Gobabis. The major challenges that Namibian transit transport faces is financing and managing the infrastructure, and harmonization of vehicle dimensions, overload control, custom procedures and user cha rges for transit transport. Namibia transport is also expensive and one of the biggest challenges is that the resources of the country are not ample enough to finance transport facilities. This study aims to find solutions to these challenges which could help lead to the proper solution implementations requiring less national budget going wasted in struggling rather than using it for national development purposes since a revived economy is vital to the future of the country. Research