Role of information & communication technology (ICT) and e-governance in health sector of Pakistan: A case study of Peshawar

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to investigate the role of information & communication technology (ICT) and e-governance in health sector of Pakistan, where these facilities are at initial stage of development. This study utilizes primary data collected from 170 patients in both public and private hospitals of district Peshawar Pakistan. This is an exploratory study and descriptive statistics are being used for the analysis of the data. The result of the study shows that the use of e-governance in health sector is at a rudimentary stage in the study area. Few people use ICT for medical purposes but the overall level is low. There is need of awareness. In addition, the facilitating conditions for the adoption of e-governance in health sector include infrastructure, electricity, proper user interface and data privacy & confidentiality. The government needs to initiate practical steps for the implementation of e-governance in health sector. This will improve the efficiency, transparency, and accountability of the system. Moreover, it will also speed up the service delivery system. The study is valuable as it explored the role of ICT and e-governance in health sector of Pakistan for the first time. Therefore, this study contributed to literature in a positive way.

Keywords

• e-governance
• health sector
• information & communication technology
• peshawar