NATIONAL DIGITAL HEALTH INFORMATION SYSTEM SUCCESSFULLY DEPLOYED AT JNF GENERAL HOSPITAL

Basseterre, Saint Kitts, August 14, 2026 (SKNIS): The Ministry of Health has successfully deployed the National Digital Health Information System (NDHIS) at the Joseph N. France (JNF) General Hospital, marking a significant milestone in the Federation’s efforts to modernise healthcare delivery and create a more efficient, integrated, and patient-centred health system.

The achievement was highlighted during a media briefing on Thursday, August 13, by Dr. Jenson Morton, Director of Health Projects and Strategic Initiatives within the Ministry of Health, who explained that the NDHIS is designed to go far beyond simply replacing paper-based records.

“What we are doing with this digitisation, it’s not just for us in the hospital to have something to work with. This is an all-encompassing system,” Dr. Morton said.

The official contract for the NDHIS was signed in May 2026, between the National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (NTRC) and the St. Kitts National Robotics Association. The agreement provides for the design, development, testing and implementation of a digital health system aimed at improving healthcare delivery throughout the Federation.

During the media briefing, Dr. Ricardo Neil, Founder and Chairman of the St. Kitts National Robotics Association, provided media representatives with a detailed video presentation demonstrating the system and offering insight into its functionality and the various components being developed.

The locally developed system is being implemented as an integrated platform that will ultimately encompass electronic health records, billing, pharmaceuticals, stores, laboratory records and X-ray records, while facilitating connectivity across various areas of the healthcare system.

Dr. Morton said the system is intended to establish an interconnected health information environment linking the JNF General Hospital’s emergency room, inpatient and outpatient services, government clinics, and the wider public health system, as well as health facilities in Nevis.

For patients, this connectivity is expected to significantly improve the accessibility and availability of critical medical information.

“Once you’ve been registered in our system, if you ever present yourself to us, we have the information [that can] be pulled up at an instant with your entire health record that is needed,” Dr. Morton explained.

The system is also expected to improve patient safety and efficiency by reducing the need for patients to repeatedly provide the same medical information and eliminating delays associated with retrieving physical records. Important information, including allergies and previous medical presentations, can be highlighted and flagged, allowing healthcare professionals to make more informed decisions, particularly in emergency situations, where a patient may be unable to communicate.

As part of the preparations for the initial phase of the NDHIS, the Ministry of Education presented the JNF General Hospital with 50 laptops and 20 tablets. The devices will provide the necessary technological support for healthcare personnel as the system is rolled out and utilised during its initial implementation phase.

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