In a recent revelation, it has been revealed that taxpayers would soon be finding them in a dicey situation as they would have to shell out another £2billion and that to for the failure of NHS IT database project. There are reports that talks are still going on between the US company and the NHS about renewing the contract, but there are no confirmation as if now.

However, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley had made it clear in September that the national patient database scheme has been scrapped. Moreover, Francis Maude, Cabinet Offcie Minister in charge of procurement, is of the view that the NHS would be at losing end if they cancel the contract. Though Computer Sciences Corporation has failed to develop a fully functional version of its software, they are of the opinion that they would need 2billion to renew the contract.

It has been known that Computer Sciences Corporation had started the project worth 11.4billion in 2002. It was believed to be the world’s biggest civilian computerisation project, which could give doctors immediate access to patient’s record.

It was being told that the National Programme for IT in the NHS had been totally aimed to ensure that the medical records are being digitized to make the system more effective. However, it went into trouble after an investigation revealed loopholes in the software. Instead of delivering efficient services, the software was found to be too costly for tax payers.

If reports are to be believed, CSC had failed to deliver fully functional patient record software, known as the Lorenzo system to 166 NHS hospitals, which pushed the government to scrap the deal. “There needs to be greater accountability and regular auditing to ensure that money is not being thrown away on wasteful projects”, said Katherine Murphy, of the Patients Association.