Government ID, Smart Cards, Identification and Authentication

South Africa's health smart card deployment postponed

Monday, December 14, 2009

Deployment of health information-bearing smart cards in the province of Gauteng, South Africa will be delayed due to a R40 million fee issued to The Gauteng Health Department, according to ITWeb.

The fee was ordered by The Gauteng South High Court on behalf of 3P Consulting for breach of contract and outstanding payments.

The goal of the R609 million project was to provide patients in Gauteng with ID cards equipped with smart chips carrying their electronic health records. The cards were expected to improve the accuracy of patient records, expedite the check-in process, and streamline the transferring of patient information from hospitals to doctors and pharmacies.

The project was first piloted successfully in January 2008, with plans to expand by March, but it was never enacted due to the controversy surrounding the Gauteng Health Department and 3P.

Qedani Mahlangu, Member of the Executive Council of Health, has stated that she will fight the decision of the Gauteng South High Court in order to bring the smart card initiative to fruition.

Read more here. [end] 

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