The Philippines Department of Health, Tarlac Provincial Health Office and Qualcomm Incorporated, through its Wireless Reach initiative, on Wednesday announced the expansion of the Wireless Access for Health (WAH) project.

It uses 3G technology to improve health care in the Philippines and create healthier, happier communities. Local Tarlac government officials have committed to support the replication of the project across the entire province by the end of 2012.

The Philippine Field Health Service Information System (FHSIS) is the government’s primary method for managing public health data and is used for policy analysis and planning at all levels of the public health system. Traditionally, information has been manually recorded on paper by health care providers, a time consuming and error prone process that is difficult to access and manage.

The WAH project streamlines the reporting process and improves access to accurate and timely patient information for clinicians and decision makers by utilizing 3G wireless technology, building upon and strengthening the existing Community Health Information Tracking System (CHITS), an electronic medical records system developed by the University of the Philippines, Manila.