Hospital Medical Information System Assistant

We’re looking for a Hospital Medical Information System Assistant who can live and volunteer for 12 months in Vanuatu. 

• This assignment seeks to provide specialised technical expertise and practical mentoring to support the Ministry of Health in strengthening health information management systems at Vanuatu National Hospital. Working alongside the HIS Unit and hospital staff, the volunteer will assist in developing health records retention and disposal policies, designing a structured approach to culling and reorganising paper medical records, and supporting the re-implementation of a single patient paper record system in preparation for the National Electronic Health Record (NEHR).  
• To be considered for the role, you would need relevant tertiary qualification in Health Information Management, Health Information Administration, Health Informatics, Health Sciences, Medical Records Management, or a related discipline, or equivalent professional experience and demonstrated knowledge and practical experience in health information management, including the management of paper-based medical records within a hospital or healthcare setting, demonstrated success in consulting with stakeholders and facilitating collaboration to achieve agreed outcomes, proven experience in developing health information policies, procedures, documentation, implementation plans and governance frameworks, and demonstrated ability to build the capacity of staff through mentoring, coaching and workplace-based training.

About the partner organisation 

The Vanuatu Ministry of Health (MOH) mission is to protect and promote the health of all people in Vanuatu. The MOH vision is to have an integrated and decentralized health system that promotes an effective, efficient and equitable health services for the good health and general wellbeing of all people in Vanuatu. The Vanuatu National Hospital (VNH), situated in Port Vila, Efate, serves as the primary referral hospital in the country. This facility offers a range of medical services, including emergency care, surgery and specialized treatments.

VNH has various health information systems that capture health data. There are a number of current electronic information systems already in use at VNH, including pharmacy, radiology, and a patient information system, but the majority of patient information is still captured in paper-based records. The paper records at VNH are stored in 3 separate filing areas across the hospital, and they have never been culled or old records destroyed. Thus, records are difficult to locate when required for the care of patients. There is also a need to ensure an organised approach to handling patient records, and to develop guidelines, standards and policies with regards to the retention and disposal of health records. Once these are in place, a process to implement these policies and guidelines will need to be established. This will also ensure that VNH is well prepared for the transition to a National Electronic Health Record (NEHR) system when the time is right.

This assignment cannot currently be filled locally due to the limited availability of specialised expertise and practical experience in hospital health information management, particularly in large-scale paper medical record management, records governance, and transition planning for electronic health records. The volunteer will transfer knowledge and build the capacity of local staff, ensuring that the skills, systems, and processes developed during the assignment are sustainable and can continue to be implemented after the assignment concludes. The role will work closely with the MOH HIS Unit team, supported by the Australian Partner Organisation, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, and report to the VNH Medical Superintendent.

About the Australian Volunteers Program  

The Australian Volunteers Program is an Australian government-funded initiative. We support partner organisations across the Pacific, Asia, and Africa to achieve locally led change.  

Volunteers are supported throughout their volunteer journey. We actively support and encourage people of all backgrounds and abilities to volunteer and aim to make the program as accessible and inclusive as possible. If you have accessibility requirements, please contact us to discuss how we can support you to volunteer with us - [email protected]. Learn more about our commitment to inclusion.