In our healthcare system where out-of-pocket payment system is prevalent, it is very common for clients to use cash in making payments for the healthcare services.
But as the adoption of information technology and communication (ICT) use in healthcare increases, cash payment systems are now becoming obsolete.
We witness government agencies and other healthcare stakeholders advocating the use of electronic payment system, a purely cashless system, in hospitals and other healthcare facilities.
Working in close partnership with commercial banks in a good number of healthcare facilities – both public and private – are tremendously adopting e-payment system.
The shift of payment system towards electronic payment system is now a trend as many other industries are already using this technology. E-payment system is actually part of e-commerce. E-payments refer to payments that are initiated, processed, and received electronically. As for the case here, is the act where patients pay for the healthcare service electronically.
E-payment system in Tanzania, as highlighted before, is tremendously being adopted by many hospitals and other healthcare facilities. There are approximately over a hundred and fifty healthcare facilities already in the game of using electronic payment system for medical services and the number is expected to go higher up.
Notable hospitals are Bugando medical centre- Mwanza, KCMC, Mbeya referral hospitals and so on. Despite the fact there are over fifty commercial banks in the contemporary Tanzanian banking systems, only few banks are pioneering in e-payment system in healthcare.
The advantages
The first and foremost is stabilisation of hospital financial control system.
There are many reported cases of fraud and theft in hospitals only because of the presence of cash payment system. Government and other stakeholders are advocating the use of these e-payment systems because it’s the only way to avoid these issues.
E-payment systems use in hospitals has been reported to increase the overall hospital income drastically.
This technology has helped in improving the quality of healthcare through cutting down administration cost, patient’s queue management, and many other important aspects.
For the moment, e-payment system is one of the key technologies every hospital ought to have as far as out-of-payment is concerned. Let’s continue to exploit technology in solving prevalent challenges.
