eGovWatch: Health Ministry to set up integrated health information platform for creating interoperable health records

The Health Ministry is working towards setting up of Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) to enable creation of interoperable health records which can be made available and accessible throughout the country, the Lok Sabha was informed.

The government is also in the process of setting up of National E-Health Authority to enforce privacy and security measures for electronic health data and to regulate storage and exchange of electronic health records.

Union Health Minister J P Nadda in a written reply told the Lok Sabha that in line with the overall objective of digitising healthcare, that is e-health, government has worked out a detailed project report for health mission mode project under digital India programme focusing on key pillars…

“…such as hospital information system, electronic health record facilitated with health information exchange, online delivery of services, citizen portal, online monitoring systems for services and others” he said.

“Health Ministry is working towards setting up of IHIP to enable creation of interoperable health record which can be made available and accessible nationwide,” Nadda said.

“Health Ministry is also in the process of setting up of National E-Health Authority as a statutory body for promotion and adoption of e-health standards, to enforce privacy and security measures for electronic health data and to regulate storage and exchange of electronic health records,” he said.

He said that under National Health Mission (NHM), states and Union Territories are being provided assistance to
computerise various hospitals such as district and sub-district hospitals, National Health Portal has been set up to provide healthcare related information for citizens and online registration system has been started and 36 large government hospitals are providing it presently.

“Standards of Electronic Health Record has been notified by Health Ministry in 2013 so as uniformity and standardisation could be ensured amongst different e-health systems,” Nadda said.

The Union Health Minister said that some of the E-initiatives launched by the government include national medical college network to provide for e-education and e-healthcare, e-Blood Bank, MCTS, a name based tracking system to ensure all pregnant women receive their ante-natal care check-ups and children receive free immunisation.

Other initiatives also include a toll free number to provide round the clock support for treatment support to TB
patients, ‘Kilkari’ to deliver weekly audio messages through phones to pregnant or lactating women, mobile based applications for awareness and information sharing on dengue and a mobile based application to help tobacco users quit tobacco, he said.

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