You no longer have to burden yourself carrying medical records, X-rays and other documents when going for a medical check-up overseas or locally, writes ANNIE FREEDA CRUEZ.

DATUK J. Ponnudurai, 78, a retired government servant, once underwent a triple heart bypass in Cleveland, United States. Some 10 years later, he was rushed to the National Heart Institute when he suffered another attack and collapsed.

Alas, the doctors had no records to show what was performed on him at Cleveland and they had to work on him based on their years of experience and expertise. They managed to get some information from family members and proceeded to do the necessary procedures to get him back on his feet.

“Can you imagine? I had no records to show the doctors here what happened to me in Cleveland. If only I had my reports, X-rays and whatever medical documents, things would have been much easier for them to treat me during the emergency,” said Ponnudurai, who is happy that MalaysiaHealthcare, the leading facilitator for health tourists in Malaysia, has finally come up with a Personal Health Electronic Record (or better known as iPHER) to file patients’ medical records.

The award-winning iPHER is a credit card-sized USB device that facilitates better healthcare for all users by offering relief from the burdens of dealing with medical records and the hassles associated with them.

MalaysiaHealthcare chief executive officer P. Suresh said the portable iPHER allows users, especially medical tourists, to carry all their personal health information in the USB device and travel to any part of the world without having to worry about access to the Internet to view the information.

They can even add on new information from the treatment before returning home and doing follow-up treatment with their doctors.

iPHER currently recognises English, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Chinese, German and French.

Health data contained in the iPHER can include anything from X-rays, medication prescriptions, lab tests, diagnosis, immunisations, alternative procedures to digital images, dental records, ophthalmic care (lens and contact description) and DNA.

The technology, Suresh assured, provided secure information access and management with data mobility and patient privacy.

The iPHER, powered by MyhealthFile, gives medical care providers such as doctors comprehensive background of users/patients for a more accurate diagnoses of the patients’ conditions.

“We currently use the iPHER technology to reduce medical errors and create continuity of care for our patients. The service we provide using the iPHER is an end-to-end solution in facilitating patients from overseas to Malaysia and can be used with local patients here.

“An additional biometric model is also available for additional security,” said Suresh, adding that data can be assessed by any desktop or laptop.” Unlike other models on the market, he said, there is no additional hardware or software needed beyond a Microsoft Operating System and the USB port.

Dr Naomi Marquez Melvin, who is the creator and patent holder for iPHER technology and president of Patient Practitioners, LLC-USA said: “We believe that it is important to empower individuals to take control of their own health.” The iPHER was developed in the US in 2006 by Dr Melvin and her team at Patient Practitioners, a company in Chipley, Florida. It received the prestigious 2006 Governor’s Business Diversification Award for innovation. The iPHER is used in the United States, Dubai, Malaysia and soon in Sao Paolo, Brazil.

According to the 2009/2010 Malaysian Economic Report, health tourism is expected to generate RM330 million in revenue for the country following a surge in the number of foreign patients to 430,000 this year.

The number of healthcare travellers rose almost 10-fold from 39,114 in 1998 to 374,063 last year, and generated a remarkable increase in revenue from RM14.1 million to RM299.1 million during the same period. From the 2006/2010 period, the industry is estimated to generate total foreign exchange of about RM2 billion, with the bulk of healthcare travellers to Malaysia coming from Indonesia, Japan, Europe and India.

Annie Freeda Cruez