Question NW1248 to the Minister of Health
21 April 2022 - NW1248
Hlengwa, Ms MD to ask the Minister of Health
What plans are in place to implement the remote biometric identity authentication in the delivery of medical care within the traditional healthcare system of the Republic?
Reply:
The National Department of Health (NDoH) met with the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) to discuss the implementation of biometric identity verification in the health system in South Africa.
Provision has been made for the development of the functionality in the existing Health Patient Registration System during the 2022/2023 financial year.
Once the development is completed, the solution will be deployed in a small group of facilities for testing. Lessons learned will be used to enhance the biometric identity verification before it is deployed to the remainder of the health facilities in the country.
For successful implementation, the NDoH is working on overcoming the following:
- A detailed, integrated solution needs to be planned and implemented in collaboration with DHA - DHA to provide guidance on which of their systems is the most appropriate to interface with.
- Funding to source biometric equipment in facilities - although some funding has been made available it will not cover all facilities.
- Broadband connectivity needs to be resolved as this solution will not work with the current connectivity solution in most public sector facilities.
END.