Antigua and Barbuda is taking another major step toward modernising its health system, with plans to make patient records available digitally across all public clinics.

Senator Michael Joseph, Minister of State in the Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment, outlined the initiative during an appearance on _Government in Motion_ on ABS-TV. He said the project is part of the government’s Smart Health Facilities programme supported by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

Joseph explained that the Ministry of Health is building out primary healthcare clinics with the Selma software. “What this will do,” he said, “it will allow the integration of patient information so that it’s quite accessible. It doesn’t matter which clinic you go to. So we’re talking about anything from your lab results to your doctor reports that you go to a clinic in the south, it’s available. You go to a doctor in the east, they’ll be able to access it. And this will allow for hospitals to be able to communicate amongst themselves. And again, this is filling that gap in the primary care system.”

The move aims to make health care faster and more efficient, reducing the need for patients to repeat their medical history at multiple facilities.

According to Joseph, the digital upgrade is part of a wider effort to strengthen primary health care and close service gaps identified under the regional health cooperation strategy signed last week between Antigua and Barbuda and PAHO.

He said the integration of data “will allow hospitals to be able to communicate amongst themselves,” which he believes is a major step toward better patient care and a more responsive health system.

The government expects that the digital transition will eventually link all major medical centres, including the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre, creating a more connected and resilient health system.