ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is working with Saudi Arabia to develop an integrated medical record system that would allow doctors to access patient histories from hospitals across the country, Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal said on Wednesday.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have expanded cooperation across a range of sectors in recent years, including health care, with the Kingdom supporting initiatives aimed at strengthening Pakistan’s medical infrastructure, health care services and workforce development.

Under the new proposed system, modeled on Saudi Arabia’s unified medical record infrastructure, the Pakistani national identity card number would serve as a single medical record identifier, allowing health information to be retrieved from nationwide hospitals.

In an exclusive interview with Arab News, Health Minister Kamal said Pakistan was seeking to learn from Saudi Arabia’s experience in digitizing its health sector instead of developing its own system through “trial and error.”

“They have got the best UMR, universal medical record system, they have got the best digitization in their health sector. We are in contact with them, with the authorities, you know, for all these subjects,” he said.

“We are trying to learn what our Saudi brothers have done there in Saudi Arabia.”

The proposed system would address the fragmentation of medical records between Pakistani hospitals, where patient histories are often not accessible when they seek treatment at another facility.

Kamal said discussions with Saudi authorities were at a “preliminary stage,” but they were progressing through regular interactions.

“We are sharing all the data. Even yesterday we had a conference, we had a video conferencing meeting and every single passing day we are talking about something,” he said.

“And soon something is going to be concluded.”

Once implemented, according to Kamal, the proposed system would allow patients to present their national identity card at any hospital in Pakistan and retrieve their medical history.

“Everybody will be having a single UMR. The ID card number of every Pakistani will become their medical record,” he said.

KING SALMAN BIN ABDULAZIZ HOSPITAL

Kamal said the contract for a Saudi-funded medical facility, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Hospital, in Islamabad was awaiting final approvals.

The first phase of the project, which has been delayed for around two decades due to design-related issues and other bottlenecks, is expected to become operational within the next two years, according to the minister.

“Very safely, if I could just tell you that the 200-bed hospital will be operational within 18 to 24 months’ time,” Kamal said.

Pakistan provided land for the project, while Saudi Arabia would finance the hospital that is estimated to cost Rs22.241 billion ($80.14 million), according to the health minister. The hospital will be expanded to 400 beds in the second phase.

He said the facility would have modern fire safety systems and equipment unlike the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), the biggest public hospital in Islamabad where a deadly fire killed 14 newborn babies last month.

“It will have the latest safety elements and latest equipment and safety measures which is being used anywhere in the world,” Kamal said, hoping it would help ease pressure on Islamabad’s health care infrastructure.

The minister said Pakistan had also been in talks with Saudi Arabia about cooperation in vaccine manufacturing.

“We are in touch right now, but that has not reached a conclusion or, you know, agreement,” he added.