Provision of Public Access Wi-Fi to the Arima General Hospital

January 2nd, 2025    |   Related To: AMPLIA Communications Limited

In March 2023, Amplia Communications, in collaboration with key state and public sector agencies, including the Ministry of Health (MOH), the North Central Regional Health Authority (NCRHA), the Ministry of Digital Transformation (MDT), and local representatives, embarked on a pilot project to provide Public Access Wi-Fi to the lobby and surrounding areas of the Arima General Hospital. This initiative addresses two critical objectives.

Firstly, it resolves a long-standing issue where family members of patients, whether in the Emergency Room or various in-patient services, were unable to communicate with their loved ones or receive timely updates on their treatment progress. By introducing a reliable connectivity solution, this project not only enhances communication between patients and their families but also supports broader digitalization efforts within the hospital.

Secondly it was intended to be the pilot and feasibility test for a much larger project, envisioned by the NCRHA, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and other Government of Trinidad and Tobago agencies, The Connected Arima Program.

The Connected Arima Program seeks to establish a fully connected Borough of Arima, enabling citizens and visitors to access digital services seamlessly throughout the community.

Additionally, this program supports urban development efforts aimed at revitalizing Arima as a hub for business, entrepreneurship, tourism, sporting, and entertainment in a safe and digitally enabled environment.

Phase 1 of this initiative focused on providing free Wi-Fi access across several key departments within the Arima General Hospital.

This ensures that patients remain connected to the outside world while waiting to be attended to, improving their overall experience.

This project aligns closely with the vision of NCRHA CEO, Mr. Davlin Thomas, who aims to create a digital ecosystem that enhances the efficiency and delivery of healthcare services throughout the region. This vision also directly supports AMPLIA’s mission to lead the digital transformation of the NCRHA.

Since the installation of the Wi-Fi service, the NCRHA has been able to digitize several key services. These include linking the Arima General Hospital with the Port of Spain General Hospital to eliminate duplicate patient entries, enabling paperless drug prescriptions, facilitating the transfer of patient records across facilities, and live-streaming health and wellness initiatives for public viewing.

These services are powered by an average bandwidth of 500 Mbps, ensuring seamless and reliable connectivity.

From the start of data tracking in March 2024, the network has supported a total of 3.38 terabytes of bandwidth usage (including both uploads and downloads), with over 12,000 users accessing the system over the past seven months. Notably, there was a significant increase in usage in September 2024, coinciding with the public launch of the “Connected Arima” Program.

The most frequently used applications on the network were Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and WhatsApp.

This initiative represents a landmark achievement in the public sector, made possible through strong support from the Government and its agencies. Furthermore, the project’s strategic expansion plan aims to replicate the success of Arima’s Public Access Wi-Fi across other cities in Trinidad and Tobago over the next three to five years.

Amplia Communications is proud to be the selected service provider for the NCRHA and remains committed to supporting the expansion of the “Connected Arima Program,” setting the foundation for a more digitally integrated future for Trinidad and Tobago.

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