Shawn Bolton – Leading the MOHW Digital Response to COVID-19

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Lead for the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW), Shawn Bolton, was easily one of the most important figures working in the background at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the pandemic, Mr. Bolton who was then Director of the Systems, Information and Technology Unit (SITU) within the MOHW, was responsible for contributing to the communication strategy for the Health Emergency Operations Centre (EOC). This is the central coordinating hub for any health response, crisis or disaster.

Mr. Bolton tells JIS News that he provided social diversity for COVID-19 clients, who were being housed in several government-managed quarantine, isolation and observation facilities. This was to ensure that the clients had connectivity throughout their quarantine or isolation periods and were able to stay in touch with family and friends.

“There was the need for…communication to and from these facilities, so that includes internet access, telephone communications and network communications for the clients and for healthcare workers for reporting purposes, etc.,” Mr. Bolton explains, adding that this EOC goal was a primary mandate for him.

He notes that he also played a role in helping to make the EOC more efficient in its operations.

“I transitioned some of the processes within the EOC…from a paper-based system to a more digitalised form of communication; so, I improved communication for the EOC between health facilities, health departments and quarantine facilities,” the ICT Lead explains.

He adds that his role was expanded when Jamaica’s vaccination programme began.

“As part of COVID-19 response again, there was need for tracking and case management of the vaccines.

There are several brands that were introduced to Jamaica and over 1.5 million doses have already been administered, Mr. Bolton outlines.

“I was integral in terms of deploying a solution to record all of the doses that have been administered and to provide analysis on those doses. So, there are reporting tools that have been deployed that are used by healthcare workers and executives,” Mr. Bolton notes.

He points out that as the country embraces the digital age, the MOHW has produced COVID-19 digital certificates, which persons can easily download for internal use and for travel. The implementation of this programme was also one of his responsibilities.

Although now employed to the MOHW as a consultant, Mr. Bolton’s journey began at the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service in 1997 in Finance and Accounts. In 2008 he made a career switch to Information Technology. In 2019, he left the MOFPS as a Technical Manager and stepped into his new role at the MOHW as the Director of SITU.

There he spent approximately two years before availing himself of an opportunity to work on the IDB Health Systems Strengthening Programme in 2021. The project, he explains, looks at strengthening of healthcare within the Government of Jamaica, and encompasses physical and ICT infrastructure.

Component One deals with physical building up of hospitals and health centres and Component Two deals with Non-Communicable Diseases and Telehealth Solutions.

Mr. Bolton has recently been appointed as a consultant for the Ministry of Health on the IDB Project which is handling the implementation of ICT Managed Services for the MOHW. This involves the deployment of computers and the Vaccine Implementation Programme for the MOHW.

ICT Managed Services, Mr. Bolton says, is responsible for the deployment and upgrade of ICT infrastructure within 105 health facilities across Jamaica.

This includes 24 hospitals and 81 health centres.

Under the programme, some health centres will be retrofitted, and some health centres and hospitals upgraded with network infrastructure, cabling, network devices, firewalls, routers, access points, fibre, security protocols, etc.

The ICT Lead is also responsible for the implementation of two data centres, one at eGov Jamaica and the other to be hosted at the Mandeville Regional Office.

This is to facilitate a private cloud for the MOHW which will also enable high speed internet and Wide Area Network, connecting the 105 facilities for fast integration and access to information “so this is pretty much a centralised model for the MOHW, data and health related applications”.

“In terms of the vaccine project, I have been charged with the responsibility for implementing and coordinating the appointments, case tracking and digital documentation for the COVID-19 vaccines through the Vaccine Management System for the Government of Jamaica since March 10, 2021.

Although not serving on the front line, Shawn Bolton’s role in Jamaica’s COVID-19 response cannot be overlooked. For his efforts, he is being recognised as one of Jamaica’s healthcare heroes during July which is being observed as Healthcare Workers Appreciation Month.