Ethekwini Hospital and Heart Center: Modernizing the healthcare branch in South Africa

In October 2008 the Ethekwini Hospital and Heart Centre (EHHC) was officially opened in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, with a memorable ceremony. The SAP-based hospital information system i.s.h.med was chosen to cover the administration of the new hospital. The EHHC is a new, independent and privately financed institution, which is a competence center for cardiology and cardiac surgery for patients from South Africa and all over the world. The new SAP technology is the heart of the clinic: It will simplify administrative and medical processes.

The close cooperation between T-Systems and SAP in South Africa and T-Systems Austria in the EHHC project led to the first success on the South African healthcare market. As the general contractor and implementation partner for SAP, T-Systems introduced a clinic solution in South Africa, which includes functions for financial accounting, cost accounting, procurement, human resources management, payroll accounting, patient administration and invoicing. Furthermore the hospital information system i.s.h.med also covers the medical processes.

The executive director of EHHC, Keith Bonsall, explains: “Our goal is to automate central administrative and medical processes. The increased efficiency will allow the hospital staff to concentrate on the more important aspects of healthcare and the healing process.“

An important element of the clinic solutions is the automation of medical processes. T-Systems initially implemented the i.s.h.med Basis module, which covers the clinic-logistical aspects such as resource planning and the internal ordering process. The i.s.h.med Surgery module will simplify the planning process for surgeries, including the allocation of surgical staff. From Austria, T-Systems supports the South Africans during the entire acquisition process. The Austrian information and communication vendor provided the necessary i.s.h.med software licenses and the know-how of its experts following the completion of the contract.

One-stop overall solution

“The new radiology and pharmacy solutions will contribute to the improvement of the drug pick and fill process in real time“, says Bonsall. “These solutions represent the dawn of a new era in the South African healthcare sector. We will thoroughly prepare our staff for the use of the various hospital solutions, to enable the best possible care for our patients “, adds Bonsall.

“The advantages to a hospital group with the clinic solutions from SAP are enormous. An overall solution from one provider makes the process considerably more efficient. Thanks to our worldwide experience, gained in particular during the development of the i.s.h.med system, we are in the unique position of being able to implement these highly specialized solutions in the South African healthcare sector “, says Mardia van der Walt-Korsten, CEO of T-Systems South Africa.

The first implementation phase of the comprehensive healthcare solution for the Ethekwini Hospital and Heart Centre was completed in June 2008. The EHHC has over 250 beds, 40 examination and consultation rooms, approximately 500 employees, seven operating rooms and 3 IT service rooms.