printer friendly version

Fingerprint system reduces costs, improves safety and security

The Medi-Clinic Group, the largest counter in South Africa's fast-growing private hospital industry with an estimated 23% market share, is testing a fully integrated biometric access control and time and attendance (T&A) system using Sagem's world-leading fingerprint scanners.

The main goal of the test, which is now underway at Cape Town Medi-Clinic, is to solve time and attendance problems that result from the complexity of having a large number of staff offering a wide range of specialised services and working different shifts at 48 different hospitals.

Medi-Clinic opted to test a solution developed by systems integrator Blick SA, one of the few companies identified by Medi-Clinic as being able to meet its access-control and time-management requirements. Blick SA is an accredited dealer of the Ideco Group, the primary distributor in southern Africa of Sagem biometric solutions and operator of the sub-continent's sole authorised Sagem service and repair facility.

To qualify, Blick SA had to meet the rigorous requirements of Medi-Clinic, which, since inception in 1983, has sought to be the leader in its field. The group's stated objectives include providing the most cost-effective quality care possible while being regarded as the most respected and trusted provider of hospital services by various stakeholders in the healthcare industry of South Africa.

Blick SA's Time Management Package and BESTaccess, a Web-based access-control enhancement, were installed in 2005 and are now in the final stages of a stringent test phase.

Fingerprint identification hardware and software perfected over more than 20 years by Sagem form a vital element of the system, as their accuracy, reliability and speed are second to none. Sagem is widely used in both the criminal and civil fields, and its systems are in use in a wide range of environments. More than two billion fingerprints worldwide have been enrolled onto Sagem systems.

Key benefits already evident from the system installed at Medi-Clinic include the reduction of the overall costs associated with managing large numbers of staff while maintaining the highest levels of safety and security for both the patients and staff. In addition the system is providing adequate levels of operational control for and by management.

Outcomes so far indicate that the test is extremely successful. Staff overheads have been reduced by the introduction of reliable but not burdensome clocking procedures that have eliminated the 'buddy clocking' abuses inherent in less sophisticated systems. At the same time, maternity wards and other sensitive areas enjoy greater security with concomitantly enhanced peace-of-mind for patients and a more productive work schedule for staff.

These early results of the test have encouraged Medi-Clinic to look at rolling out the system to all 48 hospitals in the group, with more than 5500 beds and over 11 000 staff.

In seeking to ensure better value for patients and doctors in terms of the utilisation of their time, skills and experience, Medi-Clinic has a solid record of cost containment. The group seeks to provide medical practitioners with the best possible infrastructure in the form of custom-designed facilities, state-of-the-art equipment and, above all, excellent nursing care that focuses on the needs and satisfaction levels of patients.

Share this article:

Further reading: